A cruise ship which left behind an 80-year-old Australian grandmother on a nearly deserted island, where she sadly died, has been stormed by investigators.
Suzanne Rees was found dead on Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef, in Far North Queensland, on October 26. She had been left behind by an NRMA Coral Expeditions cruiser, the Coral Adventurer.
Officials from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) were seen boarding a tender belonging to the Coral Adventurer as it left the Yorkeys Knob Boat Ramp about 9.30am on Wednesday.
The large cruise ship was anchored off the coast of Yorkeys Knob, a small community 16km north of Cairns, because it was unable to secure a berth at the Cairns cruise liner wharf.
Several officials dressed in hi-vis gear took the tender out to the Coral Adventurer under the supervision of an unknown man, understood to be a ship manager.
Lizard Island was the first stop of the cruise on its 60-day circumnavigation of Australia, a trip valued at $80,000.
Ms Rees, a grandmother from Sydney, had been hiking in sweltering conditions with fellow passengers from the Coral Adventurer, but became separated from the group for a rest.
It’s believed she was was left behind by the cruise ship Coral Adventurer on Saturday, October 25, after a head count was missed.
The ship returned several hours later after the crew realised the woman was not on board. A major search operation found her body the following day.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) is leading the investigation into the incident, alongside Queensland Police and the state Coroner.
In a statement released by AMSA, it said it had issued a notice to the master of Coral Adventurer prohibiting any new passengers from boarding the ship.
Coral Expeditions chief executive Mark Fifield confirmed passengers and crew on the Coral Adventurer were told last Wednesday the remainder of the voyage had been cancelled due to the ‘tragic passing of Suzanne Rees and previous mechanical issues’.
He added passengers would be issued a full refund, and the company was working ‘to co-ordinate the return journeys of the passengers via chartered flights’.
It’s understood Ms Rees was not reported missing until about 6pm on October 25 when she failed to arrive for dinner, five hours after she was allegedly left behind.
Ms Rees’s body was found 50metres off the hiking trail that leads to Lizard Island’s highest summit, Cook’s Look, on Sunday, October 26.
Daily Mail has contacted Coral Expeditions and the AMSA for comment.
