‘Increasingly apparent’: Coral Adventurer cruise cancelled after Suzanne Rees’ death on Lizard Island

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 left behind on Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef after she broke off while hiking with a group of fellow passengers from the Coral Adventurer cruise ship. The ship departed without her, before returning a few hours later once the crew realised she was missing. The Sydney woman’s body was not found until after a major search operation the following day. Coral Expeditions chief executive Mark Fifield confirmed on Saturday that passengers and crew had been notified the cruise had been cancelled. “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.” Mr Fifield said passengers would be issued a full 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.” The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) reportedly said in a separate statement on Saturday it had issued a notice to the master of the ship “prohibiting the embarkation of any new passengers”. The safety authority said that it understood that the Coral Adventurer would return to Cairns, where AMSA staff would meet it. AMSA is investigating why Ms Rees may not have been accounted for during boarding. The Coral Adventurer was just two days into its voyage, departing Cairns on October 24 and then arriving at Lizard Island, 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.” Ms Rees’ daughter described her mother as an “active 80-year-old”. Mr Fifield earlier this week said Coral Expeditions was “deeply sorry that this has occurred” and had offered its support to the Rees family. He also confirmed the company was “working closely” with police and other authorities probing the death.