Investigation Launched After 80-Year-Old Passenger Dies Following Cruise Ship Departure

Sat Dec 20 2025 15:46:14 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A tragic incident involving the Coral Adventurer cruise ship results in the death of Suzanne Rees, an 80-year-old passenger left behind on an island, prompting an investigation by maritime authorities.

Authorities have commenced an investigation into the Coral Adventurer cruise ship after 80-year-old Suzanne Rees was left behind on Lizard Island during a passenger excursion, resulting in her untimely death. The ship's crew only realized she was missing hours later, and official inquiries are underway to understand the circumstances that led to the incident.

Investigators have boarded an Australian cruise ship more than 10 days after the death of an elderly female passenger who was left behind on a remote island.

Suzanne Rees, 80, had been hiking on Lizard Island with fellow passengers from the Coral Adventurer, but broke off from the group for a rest. The ship left without her, only returning several hours later when the crew realized Ms Rees was missing.

Officials from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (Amsa) boarded the vessel on Wednesday morning local time.

Amsa, which is probing the incident alongside Queensland Police and the state coroner, told the BBC it could not comment on the investigation.

The 60-day cruise around Australia, which had cost guests tens of thousands of dollars, was cancelled due to Ms Rees' death as well as mechanical issues.

The Coral Adventurer had been expected to dock at Cairns—where its operator Coral Expeditions is based—but a lack of available berths meant it instead dropped anchor a few kilometers north early on Tuesday evening, off the coast of Yorkey's Knob, where it remained on Wednesday morning.

The vessel caters for up to 120 guests with 46 crew, according to the company's website. It was purpose-built to access remote areas of Australia's coast.

Tracking data shows the vessel initially left Cairns at around 07:30 local time on 24 October—after a delay of around a week because of mechanical issues. The next day it reached Lizard Island for the first stop on the journey.

Suzanne Rees' daughter, Katherine Rees, expressed her shock and sadness regarding the incident, indicating there may have been a failure in care and common sense by the cruise operators. The investigation aims to discover what steps could have been taken to prevent her mother's demise.