A luxury 60-day cruise around Australia has been cancelled following the death of an elderly woman who was left behind on a remote island.
Suzanne Rees was separated from a group of fellow passengers during a hike on Lizard Island, located in the Great Barrier Reef.
The Coral Adventurer cruise ship departed the island without her, only returning several hours later when crew members realised she was missing.
Her body was discovered the following day after an extensive search effort.
Coral Expeditions chief executive Mark Fifield announced on Saturday that passengers and crew had been informed the cruise would not continue.
“On Wednesday evening, Coral Expeditions notified passengers and crew on-board the Coral Adventurer vessel that, following the tragic passing of Suzanne Rees and previous mechanical issues, the decision had been made to cancel the remainder of the voyage,” he said.
“Since that time, our team has worked to co-ordinate the return journeys of the passengers via chartered flights, as well as the crew and the vessel.”
Fifield confirmed that all guests would receive a complete refund.
“The Coral team prides itself on delivering high quality experiences to our guests,” he said.
“It was increasingly apparent given the circumstances of the last week that we could not deliver on this promise.”
In a separate statement, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) confirmed it had issued a directive to the ship’s master, “prohibiting the embarkation of any new passengers”.
AMSA said it understood the vessel would return to Cairns, where officials would meet it. The authority is now examining why Ms Rees may not have been accounted for during the return to the ship.
The Coral Adventurer had only just begun its voyage, departing Cairns on October 24 with Lizard Island as its first stop.
Suzanne Rees’ 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”.
“From the little we have been told, it seems that there was a failure of care and common sense.”
She described her mother as an “active 80-year-old”.
Fifield previously stated Coral Expeditions was “deeply sorry that this has occurred” and had offered support to Ms Rees’ family. He also confirmed the company was “working closely” with authorities investigating the incident.
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