Nearly seven days after a 33-year-old Chinese cruise ship passenger went missing during a solo hiking trip on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts, law enforcement authorities have confirmed his body was recovered by search teams.
According to official statements from the St. Kitts and Nevis government, the missing traveler, Wang Zyuan, was first reported lost on May 27 while trekking alone along the Mount Liamuiga trail. Before communications cut out, Wang placed an emergency call to local 911 services at approximately 2:00 p.m. local time to report he had become disoriented and separated from any marked paths, but responders could not re-establish contact after the initial call.
Local media outlet WINN FM 98.9 confirmed that Wang had opted to complete the hike without the accompaniment of a licensed professional guide. Witness reports note he was last seen wearing a black outfit and red footwear before starting his ascent up the trail.
Immediately after Wang was reported missing, the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force (RSCNPF) coordinated a large-scale multi-agency search operation. The joint effort brought together resources from the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force, the island’s Fire and Rescue Department, and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), alongside local civilian volunteers who assisted in combing through dense terrain. Telecommunication providers shared cell tower location data to help responders narrow their search parameters, cutting through large swathes of unmarked rainforest to target potential areas where Wang might have been stranded.
After five days of systematic searching across the volcanic mountain, search crews located Wang’s body on Monday, with official confirmation of the discovery made public the same day. Police have not released additional details about the case, including a potential cause of death, noting only that a full investigation into the incident remains ongoing.
Mount Liamuiga, the site of the hike, is a dormant volcano that stands as the highest point on St. Kitts, reaching nearly 3,800 feet (1,200 meters) above sea level. The trail that cuts across its slopes winds through dense tropical rainforest, and multiple cruise lines that list the hike as an available excursion explicitly warn tourists that the route is extremely physically demanding, with conditions that often turn muddy and slippery even during dry weather.
This is far from the first search and rescue operation on the island’s remote backcountry trails. Over the past two decades, multiple incidents have left international tourists stranded or injured on Mount Liamuiga. In 2006, responders successfully rescued American traveler Linda Campbell after she became stranded on the mountain’s upper slopes, and in 2019, a 21-year-old Canadian hiker Jayme Houle required a large-scale search effort after suffering an injury while hiking the trail alone, mirroring the circumstances of Wang’s disappearance.
