Great barrier reef Cruise Ship Boarded by Investigators Following Death of Passenger
Yorkey’s Knob, Queensland, Australia – investigators have boarded the cruise ship Coral Adventurer as part of an inquiry into the death of 80-year-old Suzanne Rees, who went missing on Lizard Island, a remote island within the Great Barrier Reef, on October 25th. The ship had dropped anchor off the coast of Yorkey’s Knob on Tuesday evening, October 29th, due to a lack of available berths, and remained there as of Wednesday morning, November 6th.
The Coral Adventurer initially departed Cairns on October 24th, following a week-long delay due to mechanical issues, and reached Lizard Island – also known as Jiigurru or Dyiigurra – the following day for its first scheduled excursion. Passengers were transported to the island via tender for a day trip offering hiking and snorkelling.
According to her daughter, Katherine Rees, the family was “shocked and saddened that the Coral Adventurer left Lizard island after an organised excursion without my mum.” Suzanne Rees, described as an “active 80-year-old” and member of a bushwalking group from Sydney, fell ill during a hike on the island. She was reportedly asked to descend the hill unescorted, and the ship allegedly departed without a passenger count.
“from the little we have been told, it seems that there was a failure of care and common sense,” Katherine Rees stated.”We understand from the police that it was a very hot day, and mum fell ill on the hill climb…At some stage in that sequence, or shortly after, mum died, alone.”
A search and rescue operation launched on October 25th failed to locate Ms. Rees, and her body was discovered the following day.
Mark Fifield, chief executive of Coral Expeditions, confirmed the company is “working closely with Queensland Police and other authorities to support their investigation” and stated the firm was “deeply sorry that this has occurred,” offering full support to the Rees family.
The Coral Adventurer typically carries up to 120 guests and 46 crew and is designed for access to remote coastal areas of Australia. The BBC reports a skeleton crew was aboard the vessel when it anchored off Yorkey’s Knob.Ship tracking data indicates a tender was observed moving between the ship and the shore on Tuesday night. All other passengers had disembarked at Horn Island over the weekend and were transported to the mainland via charter plane.
