Australian woman dies on nearly deserted island after failing to board a cruise ship

An elderly woman was found dead after she ‘couldn’t board’ a cruise ship while visiting a popular tourist island in the Great Barrier Reef.

Queensland Police have launched an investigation into the death of an 80-year-old solo traveler who hiked to Lizard Island’s highest peak on Saturday.

It is understood the woman was walking towards the summit of Cook’s Look with the Coral Expeditions group when she had to stop.

“The group continued on and boarded the ship without realizing he wasn’t there,” a source told The Australian.

Another source claimed that the woman fell from the cliff.

The woman was reported missing after she did not return to the ship anchored in the open sea, sparking a large-scale search that continued throughout the night.

The woman’s body was found and removed on Sunday.

Coral Expeditions confirmed to the Daily Mail that a passenger died during a trip to the island on Saturday.

Chief executive Mark Fifield said: “The crew notified authorities that a woman was missing and a search and rescue operation was launched on land and at sea.”

Following the operation, Queensland Police notified Coral Expeditions that the woman was found dead on Lizard Island.

‘While investigations into the incident continue, we are deeply saddened by this incident and offer our full support to the woman’s family.

‘The Coral team is in contact with the woman’s family and we will continue to provide support to them during this difficult process.

‘We are working closely with Queensland Police and other authorities to support their investigations. ‘We cannot comment further while this process is ongoing.’

Police are not treating the woman’s death as suspicious and will prepare a report for the coroner.