The daughter of an elderly woman who died alone on a remote Australian island after her cruise ship left her behind is accusing the ship’s crew of a “failure of care and common sense.”
Suzanne Rees, 80, had been hiking Saturday on Lizard Island off the coast of Queensland with fellow passengers from the Coral Adventurer, but became separated from the group and didn’t return to the ship before it departed the island.
She was reported missing later that night after “failing to board the vessel,” Queensland Police said in a statement.
Once the crew realized she was absent, the cruise ship returned to the island and a large-scale search operation was stepped up.
The woman’s body was found by the rescue teams on Sunday morning, police said. No details have been released about the cause of death or how her absence went unnoticed.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said it is “currently investigating the circumstances surrounding why the passenger may not have been accounted for during boarding.”
It added that further inquiries will be conducted on board the vessel once it arrives in Darwin, Australia.
Lizard Island, on the Great Barrier Reef around 17 miles from the Australian mainland, was named for its abundant population of yellow-spotted monitor lizards. It also houses a research station and a luxury resort.
The Coral Adventurer visited the island on the second day of a journey around Australia, with the destination marketed by the cruise operator Coral Expeditions as a spot for passengers to swim, snorkel or hike to enjoy panoramic views.
Suzanne’s daughter Katherine Rees said she was “shocked and saddened” that the cruise ship had left without her mother.
She said in a statement Thursday that police told the family that it was extremely hot that day and her mother began feeling unwell during the hike. She was advised to return to the ship on her own, but the vessel later departed without checking whether all passengers were on board.
“At some stage in that sequence, or shortly after, Mum died, alone,” Rees added, describing the incident as a “failure of care and common sense.”
Coral Expeditions chief executive Mark Fifield said the company was working closely with authorities investigating the death.
“We have expressed our heartfelt condolences to the Rees family and remain deeply sorry that this has occurred,” Fifield said in a statement to The Associated Press.
“We continue to provide our full support to the Rees family through this difficult time,” he added.
According to Queensland Police, the coroner will investigate the incident as a “non-suspicious death.”
Katherine Rees said she hoped a coroner’s inquiry would “find out what the company should have done” to save her mother’s life.
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