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A cruise around Australia has been cancelled following the death of an elderly passenger who was left behind on a remote island.
Eighty-year-old Suzanne Rees was hiking on Lizard Island with other passengers from the Coral Adventurer, a vessel operated by Coral Expeditions, when she starting feeling unwell and became separated from the group.
Believing she had made her way back to the ship alone, her fellow hikers returned to the vessel and it left the island without her.
The crew realised she was missing and returned to the island to look for her but a day later, on 25 October, Rees was found dead.
Coral Expeditions chief executive Mark Fifield released a statement on Saturday that the remainder of the voyage has been cancelled.
“On Wednesday evening, Coral Expeditions notified passengers and crew onboard the Coral Adventurer vessel that, following the tragic passing of Suzanne Rees and previous mechanical issues, the decision had been made to cancel the remainder of the voyage,” Mr Fifield said in the statement.
“Passengers were told they would receive a full refund,” he said, adding that the cruise team is coordinating the return journeys of the passengers and the crew via chartered flights.
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This aerial photo taken on April 4, 2024, shows a boat anchored near coral around Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef, located 270 kilometres (167 miles) north of the city of Cairns (AFP/Getty)
“We are working closely with Queensland Police and other authorities to support their investigation,” Mr Fifield said.
The 80-year-old’s daughter, Katherine Rees, said earlier that the family was “shocked and saddened that the Coral Adventurer left Lizard Island after an organised excursion without my mum, Suzanne.”
“From the little we have been told, it seems that there was a failure of care and common sense,” she told The Australian.
“I hope that the coronial inquiry will find out what the company should have done that might have saved Mum’s life,” the daughter said.
Australian authorities have launched an investigation into the woman’s death.
Under existing regulations by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), captains or masters of commercial passenger vessels are required to maintain systems ensuring every passenger is accounted for at any given time.
The agency confirmed in a statement that it is investigating whether these procedures were properly implemented in the cruise.
It said appropriate action would be taken if non-compliance is identified.
Amsa also said in an updated statement on Saturday that it has “issued a notice to the Master of Coral Adventurer” banning any new passengers from boarding the ship.
Officials are expected to meet the Coral Adventurer when it docks in Darwin on Sunday.
