An 80-year-old Australian woman has been found dead on a Great Barrier Reef island after being left behind by the cruise ship she was travelling on.
The woman had been hiking on Lizard Island, 250km (155 miles) north of Cairns, with fellow passengers from the Coral Adventurer cruise ship on Saturday but is believed to have broken off from the group to have a rest.
The ship left the island around sunset but returned several hours later after the crew realised the woman was missing. A major search operation found her body on Sunday morning. No details have been released.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (Amsa) said it was investigating and would meet the ship's crew later this week.
It is understood the woman, who has not been named, was on the first stop of a 60-day cruise around Australia, with tickets costing in the tens of thousands of dollars for the journey.
She had joined a group hike to the island's highest peak, Cook's Look, before she decided she needed to rest, according to a local newspaper.
But she did not make it back to the ship, which then departed without her.
Traci Ayris, who was sailing near the island last weekend, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that she saw a helicopter using a spotlight to search a walking trail on the island at around midnight on Saturday.
A spokesperson for Amsa said it was first alerted to the missing woman at around 21:00 on Saturday by the ship's captain.
A report into the sudden and non-suspicious death of the woman will be prepared for the coroner, Queensland police said.
Coral Expeditions chief executive Mark Fifield said staff had contacted the woman's family and were offering support over the tragic death. While investigations into the incident are continuing, we are deeply sorry that this has occurred and are offering our full support to the woman's family, he added.
The Coral Adventurer caters for up to 120 guests with 46 crew and continues its voyage to Darwin.
