The family of an 80-year-old who was left behind by her cruise ship and died on a remote Queensland island has alleged there was a “failure of care and common sense”.
Suzanne Rees was on the second day of a luxury 60-day circumnavigation of Australia when she disembarked the Coral Adventurer at Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef on Saturday morning. She and other passengers had intended to hike the island’s Cook’s Look mountain.
Unknown to cruise staff and passengers, Rees did not make it back to the ship before it left the island that afternoon. Her body was found the following day.
Her daughter, Katherine Rees, said on Thursday that her family was “shocked and saddened that the Coral Adventurer left Lizard Island after an organised excursion without my mum, Suzanne”.
A boat anchored near coral around Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef in 2024. Photograph: David Gray/AFP/Getty Images
“From the little we have been told, it seems that there was a failure of care and common sense,” Katherine Rees said in a statement.
“We understand from the police that it was a very hot day, and Mum felt ill on the hill climb. She was asked to head down, unescorted. Then the ship left, apparently without doing a passenger count. At some stage in that sequence, or shortly after, Mum died, alone.”
She described her mother as a healthy and active gardener and member of a bushwalking group.
“I hope that the coronial inquiry will find out what the company should have done that might have saved Mum’s life,” Katherine Rees said.
According to the ship’s satellite tracking data, the vessel, part of luxury cruise company Coral Expeditions’ fleet, arrived at Lizard Island, about 240km from Cairns, on Saturday morning. It left the island that afternoon.
VesselFinder tracking shows the ship turned around before 9pm that night, arriving back at Lizard Island in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (Amsa) said the Coral Adventurer’s master notified the authority of the incident at 9pm on Saturday. Amsa then initiated a response and assisted Queensland police in a land and sea search for Suzanne Rees.
In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, Amsa said it was investigating why the passenger may not have been accounted for during boarding and that it intended to board the ship when it arrives in Darwin.
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Queensland police, the state coroner and WorkSafe Queensland are also investigating the incident.
“Amsa will make an assessment as to whether there was any non-compliance associated with the passenger not being counted onto the ship and, if necessary, will take action to address them,” the safety authority said.
“Amsa offers its condolences to the family and loved ones of the person who has passed. Our thoughts are with them during this difficult time.”
In a statement earlier this week, the Coral Expeditions’ chief executive, Mark Fifield, acknowledged the “tragic death of a passenger on the Coral Adventurer during an excursion to Lizard Island”.
“A search and rescue operation was launched on land and sea. Following the operation, Coral Expeditions was notified by Queensland police that the woman had been found deceased on Lizard Island,” he said.
“While investigations into the incident are continuing, we are deeply sorry that this has occurred and are offering our full support to the woman’s family.”
