Key Aspects:
- The search for Wang Zyuan, who vanished during a cruise ship call in St. Kitts, has ended in tragedy.
- An intensive, multi-day search concluded with rescuers finding Wang’s body on Mt. Liamuiga.
- Caribbean authorities thanked the various organizations and volunteers who worked tirelessly to try to rescue the lost hiker.
The hunt for a missing cruise ship passenger has sadly come to a tragic conclusion less than a week after search and rescue efforts began.
Wang Zyuan, a Chinese man who became lost while hiking Mt. Liamuiga in St. Kitts on May 27, 2026, was found dead.
The Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force (RSCNPF) confirmed that the 33-year-old had died in a Facebook post on June 1, 2026.
“It is with deep regret that the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force (RSCNPF) confirms that Mr Wang Zyuan, who had been missing on the Mt. Liamuiga trail since Wednesday, May 27th, 2026, was located deceased on Monday, June 1st, 2026, by one of the search teams,” the post confirmed.
Caribbean authorities are now investigating the circumstances behind Wang’s death to try to figure out exactly what happened.
Cruise Hive previously reported that Wang called 911 after becoming lost on May 27 at around 2 p.m. local time, but quickly lost contact with first responders. Little is known about what happened to the hiker after that point.
It also still hasn’t been formally confirmed which cruise ship Wang was sailing on, though cruise tracking data shows Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Seas was the only vessel docked in Basseterre that day.
Additionally, it’s unclear if Wang was a cruise guest or a crew member. Royal Caribbean has not publicly identified him as an employee, but images of Wang seem to show him wearing a name tag.
Search Efforts Were Commendable
Although this situation didn’t end how anyone wanted, the people behind the rescue attempt still have the gratitude of the Caribbean authorities.
RSCNPF officers, the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force, the St. Kitts-Nevis Fire and Rescue Department, the Police Training School, the Forest Unit, the Red Cross, the Ross University K9 Unit, and civilian volunteers combed the stratovolcano for days.
In addition to sending teams to search what is known as a highly challenging and physically demanding trail, authorities also attempted to use all the technology at their disposal, such as utilizing cell phone pings to pinpoint Wang’s location.
“Since May 27th, joint teams from the RSCNPF, the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force, the St. Kitts-Nevis Fire and Rescue Services, the Police Training School, the Forest Unit, the Red Cross, the Ross University K9 Unit, and dedicated community volunteers have searched the mountain daily,” RSCNPF wrote in its Facebook post.
“We are profoundly grateful to every person who gave their time and effort to this operation,” the police force continued.
While Wang was not found alive, their efforts mean that his body can be returned to his family and that his loved ones will have closure to help them heal from this tragedy.
Cruise Hive joins the RSCNPF in sending our heartfelt condolences to Wang’s family and friends.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time a cruise passenger (or potential employee) has lost their lives while hiking during a port call. Last year, Cruise Hive reported on three separate deaths that were related to hiking.
Most recently, an 81-year-old female guest died on Australia’s Lizard Island after being left behind by a Coral Expeditions ship in October 2025.
She was unable to complete the challenging hike to Cook’s Look, and somehow, no one noticed that she failed to return to her cruise ship.
Earlier in the year, two separate hiking tragedies unfolded in Alaska. In July, a missing cruise guest from Norwegian Bliss was found deceased 1,700 feet below the ridge line of a hiking trail in Juneau.
In September, two more cruise guests fell from a different trail in Juneau, and only one of the men survived.
Hopefully, this is the last of the hiking tragedies that will impact the cruise community going forward.
