The body of an elderly cruise ship passenger was found on Lizard Island off the coast of Australia hours after she was reported missing from the ship.
A search began on Saturday night on the Coral Adventurer cruise ship after it had left the island near Cooktown, Australia, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
Her body was found on Sunday.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that the woman was on a hiking tour of the island with a group from the ship, but did not return.
The BBC reported it was believed that she broke from the group to rest.
The ship departed the island between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. local time on Saturday, with emergency crews being alerted about the woman missing just before midnight.
A helicopter was sent to look for her, but had to return when it was running low on fuel. Eventually, she was found around 9:30 a.m. Sunday, when the helicopter returned to the site.
The woman’s death has been described as “sudden and non-suspicious,” but neither the cause nor her name has been released, CNN reported.
It is also not known when she died or why people did not notice she wasn’t on the vessel when it left the island.
The stop at Lizard Island was the first stop of a 60-day journey around Australia, a trip that cost tens of thousands of dollars, the BBC reported.
The Coral Adventurer carries up to 120 guests and has a 46-person crew. It can get into remote areas of the coast and includes tenders to take passengers on day trips from the ship, the BBC reported.
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