Grandmother found dead on cruise ship off Cairns
Tragedy has struck a cruise liner docked off the coast of Cairns over the weekend, as 79-year-old grandmother Margaret Carlson was found dead in her cabin.
Queensland Police were called on board the P&O Pacific Jewel on Saturday. Media outlets are divided over the cause of Mrs Carlson’s passing, with some suggesting she died due to natural causes while others suggesting a gastroenteritis outbreak.
Mrs Carlson's daughter Vanessa D'Souza, who had boarded the ship with her teenage son, spoke to Fairfax Media, describing the death as sudden, “I keep getting these bunches of flowers at home and I just want to scream because I'm like, 'Oh, these flowers are beautiful and mum would love them', but she's not here."
Ms D'Souza added, "My first priority was to let people know, because I thought you would not want to send your mother or grandmother on that [ship].”
Queensland Health has reportedly not been informed of a gastro outbreak on the ship, but as the Fairfax Media report stated gastroenteritis is not considered a “notifiable” condition and there is no ironclad obligation to disclose such an outbreak.
A spokesperson from P&O cruise has stated there is no gastro outbreak on the cruise, “The woman did sadly pass away on board our ship on Saturday. But there is no report of a gastro outbreak on board. Our thoughts are with the family during this time.”
But new reports have suggested that a passenger was medically evacuated from the ship by helicopter on Monday, for undisclosed reasons.
Ms D'Souza said most of the passengers “can't wait to get off”, sating, “We'd like some answers. Is there really some issue with hygiene, or is there something going wrong?"
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