An investigation is underway in Australia following the tragic death of Suzanne Rees, an 80-year-old cruise passenger who died abandoned on an island in the Great Barrier Reef.
This Saturday, October 29, the victim was participating in a walk on Lizard Island, a place recognized for the richness of its landscapes surrounded by coral reefs. According to information from the BBC, the octogenarian stopped along the way to rest and her group continued walking without her.
ABC Australia says the cruise ship weighed anchor between 6pm and 7pm as the sun was setting. Only during the night did the crew realize the passenger was missing. Emergency services were notified shortly before midnight.
A helicopter was able to quickly reach Lizard Island, but its search was unsuccessful. A team of seven people traveled in a boat to the island to continue the search using lamps. The victim’s lifeless body was finally found around 9:30 a.m. on Sunday.
“Lack of attention and common sense”
The victim’s daughter said Thursday that her family was “shocked and saddened that the Coral Adventurer left Lizard Island after an organized excursion without my mother (…) from what little we have been told, it seems that there was a lack of care and common sense,” can be read in The Guardian. .
“According to the information provided by the police, it was very hot that day and my mother felt unwell while walking up a hill. She was asked to go back down alone,” added her daughter, who describes Suzanne Rees as a healthy woman who went hiking in clubs.
In a press release cited by ABC Australia, Mark Fifield, head of Coral Expeditions, expressed his condolences. “Our teams have been in contact with this woman’s family and we will provide them with all the assistance we can to help them get through this ordeal.” The manager indicated that he was working in perfect collaboration with local authorities.
AMSA (Australian Maritime Safety Authority), the agency responsible for carrying out the investigations, explained through a spokesperson “wait until the ship arrives in Darwin.”
“AMSA works closely with relevant authorities and takes the safety of passengers and crew on board commercial vessels very seriously.” Police officers quoted by ABC Australia working in support of AMSA explain that the preferred hypothesis is that of an accident.
An event described as very rare
Investigators are awaiting the conclusions of the medical examiner to determine the causes of the cruise passenger’s death.
According to the company’s website, the Coral Adventurer can accommodate 120 passengers and 46 crew members. It was specially designed to access remote areas of the Australian coast and is equipped with “tenders”, small boats used to carry passengers on day trips.
“These incidents are rare. Cruise ships have systems to record passengers boarding and disembarking,” Harriet Mallinson, director of the trade magazine, told the BBC. Sailawaze. “Disappearing on land or while preparing to return on board is unthinkable,” he continued. “Cruise organizers take these procedures very seriously and use new technologies to protect themselves from this type of incident,” the journalist added.
Source: BFM TV
