An 80-year-old woman died alone on the Great Barrier Reef Island after the cruise ship she was travelling on left without her, returning later when she had already passed away.
Suzanne Rees was on a 60-day luxury cruise around Australia when she and some other passengers disembarked on the Great Barrier Reef over the weekend.
The woman had gone hiking on Lizard Island, 250 km north of Cairns.
Per reports, it was a hot day, and the woman had broken off from the group to rest for some time, and the cruise ship, Coral Adventurer, left without her.
The ship left around sunset and returned many hours later after they realised that the woman was missing. A search operation began and was called off when her body was found near the trail on Sunday morning.
Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) stated that it was investigating the tragic incident and would talk to the ship’s crew later this week.
Harriet Mallinson, cruise editor of travel website Sailawaze, stated that incidents like these are rare since cruise ships have systems to record which passengers are embarking or disembarking. Sneaking ashore or back onboard just is not an option.
Cruise lines take these processes seriously and have tech to prevent such incidents from happening, she added.
Traci Ayris, who was sailing close to the island last weekend, told the media that she saw a helicopter searching a walking trail on the island at around midnight on Saturday.
However, the search party returned after her body was found.
AMSA said that it would work with other agencies to investigate the case and that it takes the safety of passengers and crew on commercial ships very seriously.
The woman’s daughter, Katherine, said that the entire family is sad and shocked, and from the little they have been told, they realise that there was a ‘failure of care and common sense’.
Coral Expeditions chief executive Mark Fifield said that the staff had contacted the woman’s family and were offering support over the “tragic death”.
He added that they were cooperating and working with Queensland Police and other authorities to support their investigation.
The Coral Adventurer accommodates up to 120 guests and has a crew of 46. It was built for remote areas of Australia’s coast and has tenders to take guests on day excursions.
The ship has continued its journey to Darwin.
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