Relatives of an elderly woman who died during a cruise shore excursion on a Queensland island say her death should never have happened, claiming there was a “failure of care and common sense.”
Eighty-year-old Suzanne Rees was part of Coral Expeditions’ 60-day circumnavigation of Australia aboard the Coral Adventurer when she left for a hike on Lizard Island last weekend. The cruise ship departed in the afternoon without her.
According to The Guardian, her body was discovered the next day on the remote island, about 250 kilometres north of Cairns.
Rees’s daughter, Katherine, described her mother as healthy, active and an experienced bushwalker.
“From the little we have been told, it seems that there was a failure of care and common sense,” Ms Rees said.
“We understand from the police that it was a very hot day, and Mum felt ill on the hill climb. She was asked to head down, unescorted.
“Then the ship left, apparently without doing a passenger count. At some stage in that sequence, or shortly after, Mum died, alone.”
Authorities, including the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), Queensland Police, the state coroner and WorkSafe Queensland, have launched investigations into the incident.
“I hope that the coronial inquiry will find out what the company should have done that might have saved Mum’s life,” Rees said.
AMSA confirmed it was examining how the passenger went unaccounted for during boarding and intends to inspect the cruise ship when it docks in Darwin.
According to the Coral Expeditions website, the Coral Adventurer accommodates just 120 guests across 60 cabins, supported by a crew of up to 46.
“Amsa will make an assessment as to whether there was any non-compliance associated with the passenger not being counted onto the ship and, if necessary, will take action to address them,” the safety authority said.
Coral Expeditions’ CEO Mark Fifield said in a statement earlier in the week that “a search and rescue operation was launched on land and sea”.
“Following the operation, Coral Expeditions was notified by Queensland police that the woman had been found deceased on Lizard Island,” he remarked.
“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.”
Fifield also said, “The Coral team have been in contact with the woman’s family, and we will continue to offer support to them through this difficult process”.
The Association of Marine Park Tourism Operators (AMPTO) CEO Gareth Phillips said in a statement that Coral Expeditions was a “long-standing and highly respected business… known for maintaining exceptional safety standards and a strong safety record”, the ABC reported.
“All marine operators are not only committed but also legally required to have strict passenger-verification procedures in place for both in-water and on-land activities,” Phillips added.
“As an industry, we remain committed to working closely with all relevant authorities to ensure the highest possible safety standards are upheld.”
