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A grandmother tragically died alone on a remote island after being left behind by a cruise ship. Suzanne Rees, 80, was part of a 60-night Coral Expeditions cruise set to explore Australia's most stunning sites. On Saturday, October 25, passengers of the Coral Adventurer disembarked at Lizard Island, some 240km from Cairns, Queensland. The beautiful, nearly deserted island is known for its coral reefs and pristine beaches, attracting divers from all over the world. That day, Suzanne, travelling solo, joined other members of the cruise group for an organised hike along the Cook's Look trail - the highest peak of the island. Tragically, she never returned to the boat, reports the Mirror . After falling ill, Suzanne was reportedly asked to travel back down the mountain alone, and while she lay unwell, the cruise ship sailed off to its next destination. This was the first stop on the Coral Adventurer's lengthy circumnavigation of Australia, a holiday which costs a staggering £40,000 per person. "Then the ship left, apparently without doing a passenger count. At some stage in that sequence, or shortly after, Mum died, alone," Suzanne's daughter Katherine told The Australian. Katherine revealed her family was "shocked and saddened" elderly Suzanne was allegedly left behind due to a "failure of care and common sense". It's believed Suzanne was only reported as missing after she didn't turn up for dinner, roughly five hours after she had disappeared. Sailor Traci Ayris and her partner Matthew, who were on board SV Vellamo moored near Lizard Island, had been monitoring emergency radio messages transmitted from the Coral Expeditions ship. "They did headcounts for snorkelers (which we heard) but not for other guests on the island, it would seem," Traci told the Cairns Post. She added: "The last people came down from the track and got into tender then the (ship) left very soon after that. There was not a lot of time between when the last passengers left the beach to when they up anchored. We even commented, 'Wow they left fast'." The vanished holidaymaker's absence was flagged just before midnight, with rescue teams scouring both land and water through the night. The next day, Suzanne's remains were found on a mountainside, approximately 50m from the walking path. Witness Traci told 7NEWS: "The search started around midnight with a chopper and the crew searched until 3 am." She continued, "All of us on our boats in the bay were saddened by the events. It was immensely tragic that the hiker had not strayed far from the path that we ourselves had hiked the day before." In a statement previously provided to news.com.au, Queensland Police confirmed they were investigating the "sudden and non-suspicious death of a missing woman in her 80s". The force stated: "The woman was reported missing to the police on 25 October, after failing to board a vessel in waters off Queensland earlier on Saturday." Coral Expeditions CEO Mark Fifiel also issued a statement saying: "We have expressed our heartfelt condolences to the Rees family and remain deeply sorry that this has occurred. The circumstances of her tragic death are the subject of official investigations. "We are fully cooperating with those investigations to determine the facts. For this reason, it would be inappropriate to comment further on the investigations while they are underway. We continue to provide our full support to the Rees family through this difficult time." Meanwhile, The Guardian reports the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has been informed about the incident and is making inquiries. A multi-agency investigation will examine how and why the Australian native, who is being remembered as an enthusiastic bushwalker and gardener following her death, was allegedly left behind.
