Cruise cancelled following death of woman left behind on island

A 60-day cruise around Australia has been canceled days after the death of an elderly female passenger the ship left behind on a remote island.

Suzanne Rees was hiking on Lizard Island with fellow passengers of the Coral Adventurer but left the group to rest. The ship sailed without her and returned a few hours after the crew realized she was missing.

The next day a massive search operation found his body.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (Amsa) is investigating the incident, along with Queensland Police and the state coroner.

Mark Fifield, CEO of cruise operator Coral Expeditions, said Saturday that passengers and crew on the Coral Adventurer were told Wednesday that the remainder of the cruise was canceled due to “the tragic death of Suzanne Rees and previous mechanical issues.”

Stating that the passengers will be refunded in full, the official said that Coral Expeditions is working “to coordinate the passengers’ return journeys with charter flights.”

Amsa also issued an updated statement on Saturday, saying it had “issued a notice to the Coral Adventurer’s Master prohibiting new passengers from boarding the ship.”

The spokesman said they would join the ship in Cairns when it returned.

The ship first left Cairns on October 24 and was just two days into the voyage at the time of the 80-year-old man’s death. Lizard Island was the first stop of the journey.

Passengers, who often paid tens of thousands of dollars to join the cruise, were transported here for a day trip that included the option of hiking or snorkeling.

Suzanne Rees’ daughter, Katherine Rees, said in a statement on Thursday that her family was “shocked and saddened that the Coral Adventurer left Lizard Island after an organized trip without my mother, Suzanne.”

In his statement, he described his mother as “an active 80-year-old” who was a member of a hiking group.

“From what we’ve been told there seems to be a lack of care and common sense,” Ms Rees said.

He added that he hoped the forensic investigation could reveal “what the company should have done to save my mother’s life.”

“We understood from the police that it was a very hot day and my mother got sick while climbing the hill,” he said.

“He was asked to go down unaccompanied. The ship then set sail, apparently without counting passengers.

“At some stage or shortly after this process, my mother died alone.”

In a statement earlier this week, Mr Fifield confirmed Coral Expeditions was “working closely with Queensland Police and other authorities to support their investigations”.

He said the company was “very sorry that this has happened” and offered its full support to the Rees family.

According to the company’s website, the Coral Adventurer can accommodate up to 120 guests with 46 crew members. It was built to provide access to remote areas of the Australian coast and was equipped with “tenders”, small boats used to pick up passengers on day trips.

Sailawaze travel site editor Harriet Mallinson told the BBC that such incidents were rare and that cruise ships had systems in place to record which passengers boarded or disembarked.

“Sneaking ashore or [back] “Being on a ship is not an option,” he said.

Ms Mallinson added that cruise lines take these procedures very seriously and “have smart technology in place to prevent such incidents from happening”.

“This is most likely a shocking and tragic one-off situation.”