Investigators have boarded an Australian cruise ship more than 10 days after the death of an elderly female passenger who was left behind on a remote island.
Suzanne Rees, 80, had been hiking on Lizard Island with fellow passengers from the Coral Adventurer, but broke off from the group for a rest. The ship left without her, only returning several hours later when the crew realised Ms Rees was missing.
Officials from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (Amsa) boarded the vessel on Wednesday morning local time. Amsa, which is probing the incident alongside Queensland Police and the state coroner, told the BBC it could not comment on the investigation.
The 60-day cruise around Australia, which had cost guests tens of thousands of dollars, was cancelled due to Ms Rees' death and mechanical issues.
The Coral Adventurer had been expected to dock at Cairns – where its operator Coral Expeditions is based – but a lack of available berths meant it instead dropped anchor a few kilometres north. Only a skeleton crew were on board as all passengers had disembarked over the weekend and were transferred to the mainland on a charter plane.
Suzanne Rees' daughter, Katherine Rees, expressed devastation and urged an inquiry into what led to her mother's death, describing it as a failure of care and common sense.
A search and rescue effort late on Saturday did not find any sign of Ms Rees, whose body was discovered the following day. A company representative has expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy and stated their cooperation with authorities.
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