Authorities in Saint Kitts and Nevis announced Monday that search teams located the body of a cruise ship passenger who went missing last week after hiking alone on Mount Liamuiga.
The deceased has been identified as 33-year-old Chinese national Wang Zyuan, who was last seen on the Mount Liamuiga hiking trail around 10 a.m. local time on May 27, police said. Wang called emergency services at around 2 p.m. that day to report he was lost; communication later cut off and crews lost contact with him.
Volunteers and rescue crews from multiple agencies spent several days combing the slopes of the dormant volcano before finding Wang's body on Monday, authorities said. The Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force expressed condolences: "The Force extends its heartfelt condolences to Mr Wang's family, friends, and associates during this painful time."
The discovery ended an intensive search on one of St. Kitts' most demanding trails. Mount Liamuiga is the island's highest peak at nearly 3,800 feet (3,793 feet), and a Caribbean cruise ship company that advertises the climb warns the route is "extremely strenuous" and can be "muddy or slippery." Police have said Wang was travelling alone and without a guide when he disappeared.
Officials were careful to limit what they released about the circumstances. "Detailed information is not yet available, and investigations into the circumstances are ongoing," the department said, and the police force added a request: "We respectfully ask the public to refrain from speculation and to rely only on official sources for accurate information as this matter proceeds."
The cruise line issued a brief statement expressing sorrow and gratitude: "We are saddened to learn a crew member has passed away" and "We appreciate the tremendous efforts of the local authorities and rescue teams, who worked tirelessly over the past several days." The company did not provide further details about Wang's role or status beyond confirming he was a member of its travelling personnel.
The confirmed timeline is narrow: seen on the trail around 10 a.m. on May 27, lost enough to call 911 at about 2 p.m., then unreachable; search teams mobilized in the days that followed and located his body on Monday, June 1. Police said search crews had located his body after days of searching, but they have not released a cause of death.
That absence of a cause is the central unresolved fact in a case that attracted both local volunteers and organized rescue teams. Authorities have repeatedly noted that detailed findings are pending and have urged the public to await official updates rather than speculate about how Wang died on the slopes of the dormant volcano.
Investigations remain active. The next step the police have set publicly is to continue their inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Wang's disappearance and death; they have not yet provided further details on timing, forensic work, or an expected release of findings. The outstanding question — what caused Wang Zyuan's death on Mount Liamuiga — is now squarely in the hands of the investigators, who say they will provide information when it becomes available.
