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 as well as mechanical issues.
The Coral Adventurer had been expected to dock at Cairns, but a lack of available berths meant it instead dropped anchor a few kilometres north early on Tuesday evening, off the coast of Yorkey's Knob.
Only a skeleton crew were on board when tracking data showed it moving between the ship and the shore on Tuesday night.
Suzanne Rees' daughter criticized the cruise line, suggesting a failure of care occurred when the ship departed without accounting for all passengers. She described her mother, who was an active member of a bushwalking group, expressing her dismay at the situation.
Coral Expeditions has expressed deep sorrow over the incident and is collaborating with authorities for a thorough investigation.
