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Suzanne felt unwell on a hike and walked back down – but the cruise ship left her behind (Pictures: Contributed) A cruise passenger was found dead on a remote island after being abandoned there. Suzanne Rees, 80, from Sydney, was on the second day of a Coral Expeditions cruise circumnavigating Australia when she disembarked the Coral Adventurer at Lizard Island on Saturday. The ship, operated by Coral Expeditions, reportedly left the island around five hours before realising Suzanne was missing. A search crew was launched and her body was spotted by helicopter a day later. Suzanne’s daughter, Katherine, said her mother fell ill on an organised climb on the island and escorted herself back down the mountain. Suzanne’s body was found the day after she vanished (Picture: Contributed) ‘Then the ship left, apparently without doing a passenger count. At some stage in that sequence, or shortly after, mum died, alone,’ she told The Australian. Her body was found around 50 metres away from the main hiking trail, which leads to a summit on Lizard Island. In a statement, Coral Expeditions chief executive Mark Fifield said: ‘The crew notified authorities that a woman was missing, and a search and rescue operation was launched on land and sea. ‘Following the operation, Coral Expeditions was notified by Queensland Police that the woman had been found deceased on Lizard Island. ‘While investigations into the incident are continuing, we are deeply sorry that this has occurred and are offering our full support to the woman’s family. ‘The Coral team has been in contact with the woman’s family, and we will continue to offer support to them through this difficult process. ‘We are working closely with Queensland Police and other authorities to support their investigation. We are unable to comment further while this process is underway.’ Earlier this year, a British dad and son drowned after being swept away near the Great Barrier Reef. Robin, 46, and Owen Reed, 17, were swimming at a beach not monitored by lifeguards when they got into trouble near the town of Seventeen Seventy, Queensland, on April 14. Both Robin and Owen, from Caerphilly, Wales, were dead when they were pulled from the water by a police helicopter. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page.
