🔗 Share this article

An extensive two-month voyage circling the Australian Coast was terminated following the tragic passing of an senior lady who was left behind by the ship on a remote island.

Suzanne Rees had been trekking on the tropical location with other travelers from the Coral Adventurer, but separated from the excursion for a rest. The liner left without her and came back several hours later after the ship staff became aware the lady was not present.

A major rescue mission located her remains the following day.

Authorities are examining the incident, alongside investigators and the medical examiner.

The CEO of the shipping company said that passengers and personnel on the vessel were informed that the rest of the cruise had been terminated due to the "sad loss and previous engine troubles".

Via official communication, he added that guests would be provided a complete reimbursement, and said the company was working "to organize the return journeys of the passengers via chartered flights".

Officials also released an updated statement, and said they had "issued a order to the Commander" prohibiting any new passengers from boarding the vessel.

The official said that they would attend the vessel in the port city upon its arrival.

Sequence of Occurrences

The vessel first departed the coastal city on 24 October, and was only 48 hours into the expedition at the moment of the senior passenger's passing. Lizard Island was the opening port on the journey.

Guests on the ship - who generally pay large sums of dollars to join the cruise - were ferried there for a daily excursion with the option of walking or snorkeling.

Relatives Statement

The daughter of the deceased woman said that her loved ones was "shocked and saddened that the liner left the island after an organised tour without my parent".

In her statement, she characterized her mum as an "active octogenarian" who was a member of a bushwalking organization.

"According to scant details we have been informed, it appears that there was a lapse of care and basic judgment," she said.

She added that she wished the inquiry would be able to determine what "the organization should have undertaken that might have preserved Mum's life".

"We understand from the authorities that it was a very hot day, and mum fell ill on the uphill trek," she stated.

"Officials suggested her to go back, unescorted. Then the ship departed, apparently without doing a passenger count.

"At some stage in that sequence, or soon after, mother died, alone."

Operator Response

In a statement, the CEO affirmed that the organization was "cooperating fully with officials to aid their investigation".

He mentioned that the company was "very regretful that this has happened" and had provided its complete assistance to the relatives.

Cruise Industry Practices

The ship caters for up to 120 passengers with forty-six personnel, according to corporate data. It was purpose-built to reach distant areas of Australia's shoreline and is equipped with "auxiliary vessels" - minor craft used to ferry passengers on shore trips.

Events like this are infrequent, and cruise ships have procedures to track which passengers are embarking or getting off, according to travel authorities.

"Going ashore secretly or [back] on the ship really isn't an choice," a specialist remarked.

Vessel operators consider these processes with great importance and have "advanced technology in place to prevent such incidents from taking place," the specialist added.

"This seems to be presumably a surprising - and unfortunate - isolated incident."