The daughter of a woman who was left behind by a cruise ship on a remote island and later died has accused the operator of a failure of care and common sense.
The body of Suzanne Rees, 80, was found by rescue workers on Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef on Sunday. The day before, she had been hiking on the island with her fellow passengers but was not on the ship when it left hours later.
Katherine Rees said she was shocked and saddened that the Coral Adventurer left without my mum, whom she described as healthy, active, a keen gardener and bushwalker.
From the little we have been told, it seems that there was a failure of care and common sense, she said on Thursday.
It's understood that Suzanne Rees, from New South Wales, was on the first stop of a 60-day cruise around Australia, which had left Cairns earlier this week.
Passengers, who pay tens of thousands of dollars to join the cruise, were transported to the exclusive island for a day trip with the option of hiking or snorkelling.
Suzanne joined a group hike to the island's highest peak, Cook's Look, but broke away from the others as she needed to rest. Katherine reported that after falling ill, Suzanne was asked to descend the trail unescorted, and the ship left without conducting a proper passenger count.
Following the alarm raised by the ship's captain, a search party was dispatched, but by the time efforts to locate Suzanne began in earnest, it was too late.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority is currently investigating the incident and plans to meet with the ship's crew when it docks in Darwin later this week. Coral Expeditions expressed their condolences and support for the family, stating they are cooperating fully with the investigation.
Incidents like this are rare, as cruise lines typically have stringent safety protocols in place to prevent passengers from being unaccounted for. However, this tragic event has sparked discussions surrounding the reliability of these procedures.
