Suzanne Rees was found dead on a remote island after being abandoned by a cruise ship. Now passengers can remember chillingly hearing the emergency warnings on the radio
Passengers who sailed near the cruise ship that tragically left a grandmother behind on a remote island have shared harrowing details of how the day unfolded.
Suzanne Rees, 80, went missing during the first stop on Coral Adventurer’s 60-day tour of Australia. The lone tourist had taken an organized walk on Lizard Island, on the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia, on Saturday but fell ill.
As she lay stricken, the cruise ship departed for its next destination. The traveler was only reported missing when she didn’t show up for dinner, about five hours after she disappeared.
READ MORE: Painful unanswered questions in the mystery of the tourist who died after the cruise ship left herREAD MORE: Tourist found dead after cruise ship left without her, pictured during silence for family break
A helicopter eventually led an aerial search over Lizard Island, and the ship carrying 112 passengers reportedly returned to shore with crew members said to have assisted in the search. Ms Rees’ body was discovered on Sunday 50 meters from the footpath leading to Lizard Island’s highest peak, Cook’s Look.
The Coral Adventurer had only left Cairns for the trip on Friday afternoon and had anchored off Lizard Island on Saturday. Here passengers could take a smaller boat to hike and snorkel on the holiday island, 90km northeast of Cooktown.
Passengers, Yachtie Traci Ayris and her partner Matthew, were aboard the SV Vellamo while it was anchored near Lizard Island when they heard chilling emergency radio signals sent from the Coral Expeditions vessel.
“They were doing counts for snorkelers (which we heard), but not for other guests on the island, it seems,” Ayris said Cairns Post. “The last people came off the track and got into the tender, and the ship took off very soon after.”
She added: “There wasn’t much time between when the last passengers left the beach and when they dropped anchor. We actually said, ‘Wow, they left quickly’.”
Ms Rees’ family have criticized the ‘lack of care and common sense’ shown by Coral Expeditions, owned by Australia’s National Roads and Motorists’ Association (NRMA), which is organizing the 60-day cruise costing passengers £40,000 per person.
A multi-agency investigation will determine how and why Ms Rees did not return to the ship, including allegations that a passenger count was not carried out before the ship sailed.
Coral Expeditions CEO Mark Fifield confirmed the tragic news to the press. He said: “The crew notified authorities that a woman was missing and 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.
“While investigations into the incident continue, we deeply regret that this occurred and offer our full support to the woman’s family.
“The Coral team has been in contact with the woman’s family and we will continue to provide them with support during this difficult process.
“We are working closely with Queensland Police and other authorities to support their investigation. We cannot comment further while this process is ongoing.”
Police are also assisting the investigation but say the death is being treated as “sudden and non-suspicious”. In a statement, Tourism Tropical North Queensland extended its condolences to the woman’s family, saying “as there is an active investigation, we await further details”. A report will be prepared for the coroner.
The Mirror has contacted Coral Expeditions for further comment.
#sailed #cruise #tourists #killed #details #startled