Suzanne Rees, an 80-year-old grandmother from Sydney, Australia, was accidentally stranded on Lizard Island, which is located on the Great Barrier Reef, and was found dead.
The grieving daughter of a woman who was found dead on a tropical island after a cruise ship ran out of her has shared her heartbreak.
Suzanne Rees, 80, was found dead on Lizard Island, where she and other passengers had disembarked from the Coral Adventurer in the middle of a 60-day luxury cruise. Somehow the ship left for its next stop without Mrs Rees, who was traveling alone, and, after a search several hours later, the pensioner was found dead in remote terrain.
It emerged that he had gone on a hike to the resort island, during which he fell and suffered serious injuries on Saturday. An investigation is now underway to investigate how and why Ms Rees did not reboard the ship, including allegations that a passenger count was not carried out before the ship set sail.
Rees’ daughter Katherine Rees backed the investigation, accusing the cruise company Coral Expeditions of “lack of care and common sense.” Speaking from her home in Sydney, Australia, Katherine said: “We are shocked and saddened that the Coral Adventurer left Lizard Island after an organized excursion without my mother.
“From what little we have been told, it seems there was a lack of care and common sense. The police told us that it was a very hot day and Mom felt unwell on the way up the hill. They asked her to go down without an escort. Then the boat left, apparently without counting the passengers. At some point in that sequence, or shortly after, Mom died alone.”
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Katherine said she hopes a forensic investigation will “find out what the company should have done to have saved her mother’s life.” He paid tribute to the woman who was reported missing by the ship’s team only when she did not show up for dinner at one of the restaurants.
The crew of a search helicopter spotted Ms Rees’ body the next day about 50 meters (55 yards) off the hiking route to the lookout, The Australian newspaper reported. He appeared to have fallen off a cliff or slope, the newspaper said.
Police said in a statement that a coroner would investigate the “non-suspicious death.” The coroner’s court also confirmed that the death had been referred for investigation. Coral Expeditions chief executive Mark Fifield said his company was cooperating fully with official investigations into the death. He said it would be inappropriate to comment while those investigations were underway.
The cruise company’s statement reads: “We have expressed our deepest condolences to the Rees family and are deeply sorry that this has occurred. We continue to provide our full support to the Rees family at this difficult time.”
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority, a safety regulator, is investigating why Rees may have been overlooked when passengers were boarding at Lizard Island. The tragedy is also being investigated by a workplace safety watchdog.
