Cruise ship that left woman to die on Great Barrier Reef island boarded by investigators

Investigators boarded an Australian cruise ship more than 10 days after the death of an elderly female passenger left behind on a remote island.

Suzanne Rees, 80, was hiking on Lizard Island with her fellow passengers on the Coral Adventurer but left the group to rest. The ship left without her, but returned a few hours later when the crew realized Ms Rees was missing.

Officials from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (Amsa) boarded the ship on Wednesday morning local time.

Amsa, which is investigating the case alongside Queensland Police and the state coroner, told the BBC it could not comment on the investigation.

The 60-day trip to Australia, which cost guests tens of thousands of dollars, was canceled due to mechanical problems as well as Ms Rees’ death.

Coral Adventurer was expected to dock in Cairns, where its operator, Coral Expeditions, is based.

But a lack of suitable space meant he instead anchored a few kilometers north off the coast of Yorkey’s Knob early on Tuesday evening and remained there until Wednesday morning.

The BBC understands that only the core crew were on board.

Ship tracking data showed one of the ship’s smaller boats, known as tenders, moved between the ship and the shore on Tuesday night.

Over the weekend, all passengers disembarked at Horn Island in Queensland’s far north and were transferred to the mainland on a charter plane.

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.

Tracking data shows the ship first left Cairns at around 07:30 local time on October 24, following a nearly week-long delay due to mechanical issues.

The next day he arrived at Lizard Island, also known as Jiigurru or Dyiigurra, in the northern region of the Great Barrier Reef for the first stop of the journey.

Passengers on the ship were transported by tenders to the secluded island, home to a luxury resort and a research station, for a day trip that included the option of hiking or snorkeling.

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

He described his mother, from Sydney, as an “active 80-year-old” who was part of a hiking group.

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

Ms Rees added that she hoped the coroner’s inquest could determine “what the company should have done that could have saved 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.”

Search and rescue efforts late on Saturday, October 25, the day she went missing, found no sign of Ms Rees. His body was found the next day.

Last week Mark Fifield, managing director of cruise operator Coral Expeditions, confirmed the firm was “working closely with Queensland Police and other authorities to support their investigations”.

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