Cruise cancelled after passenger dies when left behind on Lizard Island in Australia
A 60-day cruise circumnavigating Australia has been cancelled after an 80-year-old passenger died when she was accidentally left behind on a remote island during a shore excursion.
Suzanne Rees had been hiking on Lizard Island, around 250km north of Cairns on the Great Barrier Reef, when she separated from her group to rest. The Coral Adventurer vessel departed the island without her, reportedly only realising she was missing several hours later. A large-scale search operation located her body the following day, News.Az reports, citing BBC.
Australia’s Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), Queensland Police and the state coroner are investigating the circumstances surrounding her death, amid questions over passenger oversight procedures.
The CEO of Coral Expeditions, Mark Fifield, said passengers and crew were informed on Wednesday that the remainder of the voyage had been cancelled due to the “tragic passing of Suzanne Rees and previous mechanical issues.” Guests — who typically pay tens of thousands of dollars for the voyage — will receive a full refund, and charter flights have been arranged to return them home.
AMSA has issued a notice preventing new passengers from boarding the Coral Adventurer and confirmed officials will meet the vessel when it arrives back in Cairns.
Rees’ daughter, Katherine, expressed shock and sorrow, saying the family believed there had been a “failure of care and common sense.” She said her mother was a fit and active bushwalker but fell ill during a hike in hot conditions.
“She was asked to head down, unescorted. Then the ship left, apparently without doing a passenger count,” she said. “At some stage in that sequence, or shortly after, mum died, alone.”
Coral Expeditions has apologised and said it is cooperating fully with authorities.
The Coral Adventurer accommodates up to 120 passengers and 46 crew and is designed for remote expedition cruises. Industry experts say such incidents are extremely rare, noting cruise lines maintain strict systems to account for passengers during shore excursions.
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