Wang Zyuan Found Dead on St. Kitts Trail After Cruise Call
Wang called emergency services around two in the afternoon to report he was lost, hours after being last seen on the trail; police did not release a cause of death.
Authorities in St. Kitts and Nevis found Wang Zyuan dead on June 1, five days after the 33-year-old Chinese national disappeared while hiking Mount Liamuiga during a cruise call in Basseterre. Wang was last seen on the trail around 10 a.m. local time on May 27 and called emergency services around 2 p.m. to report that he was lost before contact ended.
The discovery ended a multi-agency search across the island’s highest peak and shifted the case to an investigation. Police did not release a cause of death.
“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 police force said.
Search teams worked the mountain for days
The search began the evening of May 27 and resumed the next morning, with teams combing the hillside up to the crater. Authorities planned to use cell tower data from the relevant network operator to help direct subsequent search operations after Wang’s phone contact ended.
Agencies involved included the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force, St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force, St. Kitts-Nevis Fire and Rescue Services, the Police Training School, the Forest Unit, the Red Cross, the Ross University K9 Unit and civilian volunteers. “We are profoundly grateful to every person who gave their time and effort to this operation,” the police force said.
Ship affiliation remains unconfirmed
Police did not identify Wang’s cruise ship or state whether he was traveling as a passenger or working as crew. Ship-tracking data placed Royal Caribbean International’s Rhapsody of the Seas as the only cruise ship in Basseterre on May 27, and images shared with missing-person information appeared to show Wang wearing a Royal Caribbean name tag. Royal Caribbean has not publicly identified him as an employee.
The Vision-class ship was operating a seven-night Southern Caribbean cruise from San Juan that began May 23. After the Basseterre call, the ship continued to St. Croix on May 28 and was scheduled to disembark guests in San Juan on May 30.
Mount Liamuiga trail is steep and difficult
Mount Liamuiga is a dormant stratovolcano rising 3,793 feet and is the highest point on St. Kitts and Nevis. Trail descriptions generally rate the hike as moderate to strenuous, with typical round trips of about 4.5 to 5.6 miles, more than 2,200 feet of elevation gain and four to six hours of hiking for most visitors.
The upper sections near the crater rim are commonly described as the hardest part of the climb, with steep, muddy and root-covered terrain that may require scrambling. AllTrails describes the route as “more of a jungle climb than a hike” and warns that the muddy, uneven path can be easy to lose.
Wang was believed to have been hiking alone and without a guide when he disappeared.
The St. Kitts case follows other hike-related cruise port incidents in 2025, including a Norwegian Bliss guest found dead below a ridgeline trail in Juneau, two cruise guests who fell from another Juneau trail with one fatality, and an 81-year-old Coral Expeditions guest found dead after a hike on Lizard Island in Australia.
Police asked the public to avoid speculation and rely on official information as the matter proceeds. “Detailed information is not yet available, and investigations into the circumstances are ongoing,” the RSCNPF said.
