🔗 Share this article

An extensive 60-day cruise through Australia was terminated in the wake of the tragic passing of an elderly lady who was abandoned by the vessel on a remote coastal location.

Suzanne Rees had been walking on Lizard Island with fellow passengers from the cruise ship, but parted ways from the group for a rest. The liner sailed away leaving her and went back later that day after the ship staff discovered the passenger was missing.

A large-scale search operation located her body the next day.

Investigative bodies are investigating the event, in coordination with investigators and the medical examiner.

Head of the shipping company announced that travelers and personnel on the ship were told that the remainder of the cruise had been called off due to the "tragic passing and prior engine troubles".

Via official communication, he further stated that guests would be issued a complete reimbursement, and said the organization was working "to arrange the homeward trips of the travelers via private aircraft".

Regulatory bodies also issued an updated announcement, and said they had "delivered a directive to the Captain" banning any new passengers from getting on the vessel.

The official said that they would visit the vessel in the port city upon its return.

Chronology of Events

The vessel initially left the Australian port on October 24th, and was only 48 hours into the journey at the time of the senior passenger's passing. The remote island was the opening port on the voyage.

Passengers on the vessel - who usually pay large sums of dollars to join the voyage - were taken there for a day trip with the choice of hiking or snorkeling.

Next of Kin Response

The offspring of the victim said that her family was "surprised and grieved that the liner left the island after an planned tour without my parent".

In her statement, she characterized her parent as an "active 80-year-old" who was a member of a hiking club.

"Based on limited information we have been told, it appears that there was a breakdown of care and common sense," she stated.

She continued that she hoped the investigation would be able to pinpoint what "the company should have undertaken that might have protected Mum's life".

"According to reports from the investigators that it was a exceptionally warm period, and she took sick on the hill climb," she stated.

"They requested her to head down, alone. Then the vessel left, seemingly without doing a roll call.

"During some point in that sequence, or soon after, mother succumbed, without company."

Operator Reaction

Via official communication, the CEO verified that the company was "working closely with officials to aid their investigation".

He stated that the company was "deeply sorry that this has happened" and had extended its full support to the loved ones.

Cruise Industry Standards

The liner accommodates up to one hundred twenty guests with nearly fifty staff, according to official data. It was specifically designed to access remote regions of the nation's coastline and is outfitted with "auxiliary vessels" - compact vessels used to ferry individuals on shore trips.

Occurrences of this nature are rare, and passenger vessels have procedures to record which individuals are embarking or getting off, according to maritime specialists.

"Going ashore secretly or [back] onboard just isn't an possibility," a specialist remarked.

Vessel operators take these methods very seriously and have "advanced technology in place to stop such occurrences from happening," the specialist further stated.

"This is most likely a stunning - and sad - single occurrence."