970x125
An Australian cruise line cut short its inaugural 60-day voyage around the land down under after mistakenly leaving one of its elderly passengers on a remote island, where she died.
Coral Expeditions, the company that owns the ship Coral Adventurer cruising around Australia, announced on Saturday that the remainder of its trip was axed due to the “tragic passing of Suzanne Rees and previous mechanical issues.”
Rees, 80, was stranded during the cruise’s first stop at Lizard Island on Oct. 25. She was traveling solo and out on a hiking and snorkeling tour when she somehow became separated from the rest of the group.
Her body was recovered on the island the following day.
An anonymous source told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the ship “had big problems” before the trip even began, including “something wrong with the engine” that “happened again” after Rees died.
The voyage, dubbed the “Circumnavigation of Australia,” had just set sail on Oct. 17 and wasn’t supposed to conclude until Dec. 16, according to the sailing schedule.
Mark Fifield, the CEO of Coral Expeditions, assured that the 120 passengers would be issued a full refund, after many shelled out upwards of $80,000 for the trip of a lifetime.
Fifield added that the cruise line was also working “to coordinate the return journeys of the passengers via chartered flights,” according to a statement.
Police are still working to determine how Rees’ disappearance went unnoticed for hours. An exact cause of death hasn’t been announced, but authorities aren’t probing anyone affiliated with the cruise for malicious intent.
Rees’ daughter is seeking justice as she bashed the staff for their “failure of care and common sense.”
“We understand from the police that it was a very hot day, and Mom fell ill on the hill climb,” her daughter told The Australian.
“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, Mom died, alone,” she continued.
“I hope that the coronial inquiry will find out what the company should have done that might have saved Mom’s life.”
Fifield offered his condolences to the family and said the company had offered them its full support.
The cruise was originally set to press on as company officials said they were cooperating with authorities, including submitting to probes when they docked in Darwin.
The Coral Adventurer was specifically built so that it could access remote areas of Australia’s coast and is complete with “tenders,” or small boats, used to take passengers to and from off-boat excursions, according to its website.
