The body of a woman who went missing after she fell from a cruise ship off the coast of Australia has been found.
The discovery of the woman’s body was confirmed by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority after she was found at around 7:00am 45km from the coast in the waters off Cape Jaffa.
The unnamed 23-year-old woman was travelling on the P&O Pacific Explorer cruise ship prior to her death.
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According to police, the ship’s crew members discovered that the passenger was missing at about 11:30pm on Tuesday and alerted authorities soon after midnight on Wednesday.
The cruise ship was stopped 70km off the coast of Cape Jaffa and remained there while the search for the woman commenced.
A spokesperson confirmed that the search party discovered the woman’s body: “AMSA deployed a Melbourne based Challenger and two rescue helicopters to conduct the search alongside Pacific Explorer throughout the night.
“The body of a woman was found by rescue helicopter this morning at about 7am and was taken to Mt Gambier hospital for identification.
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“AMSA expresses condolences to the family of the deceased.”
P&O operator Carnival Cruises also released a statement, sharing that it will provide ‘care and assistance’ to the late woman’s family.
“This tragic discovery comes after an overnight search and rescue operation," a spokesperson said in a statement.
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"We continue to provide care and assistance to the family member this guest was travelling with and extend our deepest condolences to their loved ones.
"As you can appreciate this has also deeply impacted our remaining guests and crew. We thank all involved who supported this distressing and challenging search operation.
"Relevant authorities have been advised and we will continue to work with them and provide any assistance required."
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In a previous statement, Carnival Cruises said the family of the woman is ‘being cared for by our on-board team while every effort is being made to find the guest'.
The Pacific Explorer began its journey leaving Melbourne on Tuesday for a four-day return trip to Kangaroo Island.
Victoria Police will lead the investigation into the woman’s death.
Gregory Robinson