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Pensioner crushed in fall while on Cunard cruise, inquest hears

A pensioner died after being crushed between a tender boat and a floating platform while on a Cunard cruise, an inquest has heard.

Mary Atherton, 75, who was travelling on the ship Queen Elizabeth, had been returning from a shore excursion in Cambodia last April.

She was attempting to step from a tender vessel onto a pontoon attached to the ship when she fell.

Preston Coroner’s Court heard that the retired teacher from Lancashire had mobility problems.

Her son Michael told the court his mother had previously undergone hip and knee surgery.

He said she had been on cruises before and had made Cunard aware of her mobility issues when she booked the trip, the BBC reported.

Passenger Andrew Allen saw Atherton fall into the water. He told the inquest he felt the tender and the pontoon should have been tied more closely together.

He said he expected to see a gang plank or extra ropes.

The hearing continues.

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