Family says ‘failure of care and common sense’ led to mum’s death on cruise
“I hope the criminal investigation will reveal what the company should have done that could have saved my mother’s life,” he said.
The family did not comment on whether they would take their own action against the cruise line.
The family hopes to learn “what the company should have done that could have saved my mother’s life.”Credit: Rees family
Matthew and Traci live on a sailing yacht and were docked in Watson Bay when the Coral Adventurer arrived.
“We watched the passengers coming and going from both ships all day,” they said in this imprint.
“We saw the last group leave the beach, then in the early hours of the morning there was a helicopter scanning the mountainside and following the trail. “We knew this meant someone was missing, but we didn’t realize it was from the ship until we heard and saw it on the radio. [ship] We’re going back to the Lizard.”
‘Once in a lifetime journey’
Coral Adventurer is operated by Coral Expeditions.
Suzanne Rees was traveling on the Coral Adventurer cruise ship operated by Coral Expeditions.Credit: Coral Discoveries
The ship is included in the “once-in-a-lifetime Australia Sightseeing Cruise” promotion, carrying 112 guests across the country for 60 days starting in October.
It promoted 48 days of guided cruise activities, an onboard program, an Island Cultural Festival in the Torres Strait, a Winemakers Lunch at the Leeuwin Estate and a charter flight to the Outback Homestead in Longreach.
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It was announced that prices start from $54,000, while the price of the most expensive cabins with balconies starts from $86,400.
“We offer our sincerest condolences to the Rees family and are deeply saddened by this incident,” Coral Expeditions CEO Mark Fifeld said in a statement Thursday.
“The circumstances surrounding his tragic death are the subject of official investigations. We are fully co-operating with those investigations to establish the facts.”
“It would therefore be inappropriate to comment further while investigations are ongoing. We continue to provide our full support to the Rees family at this difficult time.”
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) was notified that Rees was wanted at around 10pm on Saturday. He will now investigate why Rees was not taken into account during boarding.
“AMSA will make an assessment of whether there are any improprieties in not counting the passenger on board and will take action to resolve these if necessary,” a spokesman said.
“AMSA plans to carry out inspections of the vessel once it arrives in Darwin. Details regarding the vessel’s arrival time and/or AMSA’s next steps are not available at this time.”
A report will be prepared for the coroner.
Lizard Island is about 30 kilometers from the mainland near Cooktown in the Great Barrier Reef and is part of the Lizard Island Group, which also includes Palfrey Island.
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