Tourist, 80, who died on remote island after cruise left without her is pictured as heartbroken daughter speaks out
THE 80-year-old tourist who died on a remote island after a cruise left without her has been identified as her devastated daughter speaks out.
Suzanne Rees, 80, was on the first stop of a 60-day cruise trip around Australia when she got separated from the group on a hike and tragically died.
Katherine Rees said her mum fell ill during the organised climb on Lizard Island, near the Great Barrier Reef, and was asked to clamber back down the mountain on her own.
“Then the ship left, apparently without doing a passenger count. At some stage in that sequence, or shortly after, Mum died, alone,” she told The Australian.
Katherine said her family were left “shocked and saddened” at the series of events that led to their beloved mum and grandma dying.
She reeled at the “failure of care and common sense” after it was discovered Suzanne had not been reported missing until about 6pm that night.
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The 80-year-old solo traveller was on a £40,000 ($80,000) trip aboard the Coral Adventurer travelling around Australia when the tragedy unfolded.
Police and the coroner are now probing how she became stranded on Lizard Island, and whether she might have been saved if help had come sooner.
Investigators are wondering why it took so long for the alarm to be raised, and why the search didn’t begin immediately.
The Coral Adventurer had only set sail from Cairns the day before, beginning its two-month voyage across the country.
On Saturday, the ship anchored off Lizard Island – a remote slice of paradise 90km northeast of Cooktown – where passengers disembarked for a day of hiking and snorkelling.
Authorities believe the woman was hiking to the island’s highest summit, known as Cook’s Look, when she became separated from her group.
She had reportedly stopped to rest and lost her way on the return trek.
“The group continued on and boarded the vessel before realising she was not there,” a source said.
Another source claimed the tourist may have fallen from a cliff during her hike.
By the time the ship’s crew noticed she was missing that evening, it was already back at sea.
The Coral Adventurer later turned around and sailed back toward Lizard Island, arriving around 2am on Sunday.
Yachtie Traci Ayris, who was anchored nearby, said she and her partner heard radio transmissions from the cruise ship during the frantic search.
Ms Ayris told the Cairns Post: “They did headcounts for snorkellers (which we heard) but not for other guests on the island it would seem,”
“The last people came down from the track and got into tender then the (ship) left very soon after that.
“There was not a lot of time between when the last passengers left the beach to when they up anchored.
“We even commented, ‘Wow they left fast.’”
‘She lay there all day’
According to tracking data, the vessel sailed off that evening and returned after the missing passenger was reported.
A helicopter began searching around midnight, while seven crew members scoured the mountain by torchlight.
Ms Ayris said she watched the search operation up the mountain until it was called off at around 3am.
She said the helicopter returned at dawn and went directly to Telstra Rock – where Suzanne was last seen.
She added: “We knew that it had found her and the lack of activity told us that she was clearly dead.
“She lay there all day and was finally airlifted [just before 4pm].”
In a post on Facebook, she later wrote: “Never a dull moment at Lizard. Sadly we witnessed a terrible incident where a hiker from a cruise ship was (possibly) left behind and was found later deceased.
“It took all day for repatriation of the poor hiker from the mountainside. It left us all feeling very sad for everyone involved.”
Investigations continue
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said it was first alerted around 9pm on Saturday.
The Coral Adventurer – which carries up to 120 passengers – has continued its voyage through the Torres Strait towards Thursday Island.
In a statement, Coral Expeditions CEO Mark Fifield confirmed the woman’s death and said: “The crew notified authorities that a woman was missing, and a search and rescue operation was launched on land and sea,” said chief executive Mark Fifield.
“Following the operation, Coral Expeditions was notified by Queensland Police that the woman had been found deceased on Lizard Island.
“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.
“The Coral team has been in contact with the woman’s family, and we will continue to offer support to them through this difficult process.
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“We are working closely with Queensland Police and other authorities to support their investigation. We are unable to comment further while this process is underway.”