Missing Passenger on QE2 - your help is required to try and find Sabine

John · 01-01-2007, 03:13 PM

There are reports of a missing female passenger aboard the Queen Elizabeth 2 cruise ship. A search aboard the ship and surroundings has not been successful in locating her.

The QE2 was on the final leg of its 16 day Christmas/ New year cruise. She is due to return to Southampton on 2 January 2007.

richardm · 01-01-2007, 03:38 PM

Ohhhhh - this is worrying as I know a few ladies on this leg. I hope they're OK!!

Richard

Ally · 01-02-2007, 02:43 PM

The passenger was with her husband. Both are in their 60's and German. Cunard have handed the investigation over to Hampshire Police after docking this morning in Southampton. The line are refusing to make a statement to anyone, including family, and all they are saying is that the matter is now in the hands of the police.

Anyone missing is sad, but even moreso at this time of the year. Hopefully this lady's family can get some news as to what happened very soon as they are distraught. The lady's son is desperate to find out what happened and despite efforts made to find out, he has drawn a blank from Cunard at this time.

Ally · 01-02-2007, 02:47 PM

From the BBC...

Quote:

Search for missing QE2 passenger
Police are investigating the disappearance of a 62-year-old passenger on the QE2 cruise liner.

The German woman went missing while on board the ship on New Year's Eve, according to Cunard.

Family and friends could not find her as the ship travelled from Funchal in Madeira to Southampton.

An emergency search was carried out by the crew, but no sign of the passenger was found. Police are not treating the incident as suspicious.

Detectives from Hampshire police are now interviewing the woman's husband and QE2 staff.

Southampton-based Cunard said it could not comment further as it was now "a matter for the police".

John · 01-02-2007, 04:31 PM

Here is further update

Quote:

Detectives from Hampshire police boarded the QE2 when it docked at Southampton and have talked to crew, passengers and the missing woman's husband.

Detective Inspector Dean Gower said: "It is too early at this stage to speculate as to exactly what has happened, but we do not believe there are suspicious circumstances at this time."

Ally · 01-03-2007, 03:07 AM

The ship left for her Silver Jubilee World Cruise on schedule last night....investigations are ongoing.

Quote:

Mystery today still surrounds the disappearance of a passenger travelling aboard Southampton's luxury liner, Queen Elizabeth 2.

Last night the Cunard cruise ship left Southampton dock, on her Silver Jubilee round-the-world voyage, with Hampshire Police still unable to explain the disappearance of the 62-year-old woman.

Last night the ship was given a sparkling farewell with a firework display as she prepared to set sail on a round-the-world voyage of more than 24,000 miles yesterday.
Advertisement continued...

Crowds lined the city's waterfront and sightseers were out in force eager for a grandstand view of the fireworks.

But hours earlier when the ship arrived in Southampton detectives from Shirley CID boarded her and spent time interviewing crew members and passengers to try and establish what happened to the German national.

They had completed their interviews and disembarked the ship in time for her sailing last night.

As reported in later editions of the Daily Echo, the alarm was first raised on Sunday while the ship was travelling from Funchal in Madeira en route for Southampton, when a German woman passenger was reported missing by family and friends.

The last confirmed sighting of her was on Saturday, December 30, while the ship was sailing in waters off Portugal.

An emergency search immediately swung into action by the crew of QE2 but no sign of the passenger, feared to have been lost overboard, has been discovered.

Search Although the passenger went missing in international waters, Hampshire police have jurisdiction for such inquires as the vessel is registered in Southampton.

The Portuguese authorities in Lisbon together with the coastguard in Falmouth as well as Southampton based Maritime and Coastguard Agency were also alerted to the disappearance.

A search and rescue personnel were scrambled in Lisbon and an aerial search was carried out in the area but the passenger was not found.

The police are currently unable to name the missing woman, as her family has not yet been contacted, but were hoping to do so today.

(This Is Hampshire)

**alphakitty** · 01-03-2007, 08:49 AM

I always feel sad to hear of these type of disappearances. This poor woman's family will probably never really know what happened.

John · 01-03-2007, 12:17 PM

I received an email from cruiseclub@travelpage.com which gives the latest insight to what happened

Quote:

he passengers were made aware of the situation, first by a series of announcements in German throughout the late AM, over the ship's PA. At about 13:00, during lunch, the Captain made an announcement that a German passenger was missing, and asked all hands to return to their cabins to expedite a search of the ship.

At the same time, the Captain announced that the ship would be turned around and the course towards the previous port of Madeira would be retraced until the ship reached its estimated position at 10:00 hours. The Captain also notified local authorities who initiated a search and rescue operation.

Unfortunately, by dusk on Sunday, after heading south at 24 knots, the announcement was made that the ship would resume its original course, and that the search had been unsuccessful. Air and sea searches continued through Monday but no sign of the missing passenger has been found.

British police detectives boarded the ship when she arrived in Southampton earlier today and interviewed the woman's family and other passengers. A detective investigating the matter said that it was too early to determine exactly what happened but did not believe that the circumstances were suspicious.

gottabecruisin · 01-03-2007, 02:17 PM

What a shame..

Ally · 01-03-2007, 02:20 PM

They still have not named the lady. I know from various emails etc that there are many people waiting to find out who she was. Other websites have also had enquiries, which makes me wonder if she was relatively well known in Germany...as most of the enquiries have come from Germany.

This is all very sad. I really hope the authorities release her identity soon. Once the information does come through, it will be posted here