The cruise that He set sail without noticing the absence of one 80 year old passengerwho died on an island in Australia, will not continue browsing. According to the chain BBCconfirmed the CEO of the shipping company.
On November 1, Coral Expeditions CEO Mark Fifield explained in a statement released for the BBC that the ship Coral Adventure canceled the rest of his trip due to the «tragic death of Suzanne Rees and previous mechanical problems».
According to the news network, Fifield said the decision was announced to passengers and crew on October 29. In addition, the CEO assured that his clients will receive a full refund and that he is «coordinating» the returns of travelers through charter flights.
«While the investigation into the incident continues, We are deeply sorry for what happened and we offer all our support to the family. The Coral Expeditions team reached out to them and will continue to provide assistance during this difficult process. «We are working closely with Queensland Police and other authorities to support their investigation (…),» Fifield previously stated in another statement.
What happened to the 80-year-old woman?
On October 24, the Coral Adventurer cruise ship left the port of CairnsAustralia, with the intention of circumnavigating the country for two months. The next day, he stopped at Lizard Island (Lizard Island), in the Great Barrier Reefoff the Australian coast.
An image of file from a beach on the island. Photo: Luka Peternel, CC BY-SAAt that time, according to the news agency The Associated Press (AP), the 80-year-old Australian passenger, Suzanne Rees, disembarked and prepared to take a walk to a viewpoint on a hill of the island.
Apparently, somewhere along the way, Suzanne felt badsaid her daughter, Katherinein a statement released by AP.
«According to the police, It was very hot and mom felt bad when going up the hill. They asked him to will go down alone. Then the ship sailed, apparently without counting the passengers. In sometime during all this, or shortly after, mom passed away alone«, denounced his daughter.
The Australian felt unwell on the island during a walk, according to her daughter. Photo: Suzanne Rees.For its part, the local newspaper The Australian reported that the crew of the Coral Adventurer noticed the absence of the woman about five hours after setting sail of the island. They became aware of the situation when he did not show up at the ship’s dining room for dinner, according to the same media.
At first, according to the diary The Guardianthe crew believed that Suzanne had fallen from the moving cruise ship. Therefore, they began a search in the water and also throughout the boat.
According to the australian news portal Nine News (9News), the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) clarified that it began an operation together with the Queensland police after the cruise ship reported the woman missing at nine p.m. on October 25.
According to The Guardianel Coral Adventure headed back to Lizard Island and it ended up arriving during the early hours of October 26.
The deck of a cruise ship. The image is illustrative, it is not related to the case. Photo: Pexels.After a while, according to AP, a search helicopter located the body by Suzanne to some 50 meters from the path that leads to the viewpoint. The Australian stated that everything indicates that the woman could have fallen from a cliff or slope.
«From the little they told us, It seems that there was negligence and lack of common sense«, denounced her daughter Katherine in the statement. In turn, she stated that she hoped that the investigation of the case would reveal «what the company should have done to save the life» of her mother.
The authorities reported that they are investigating the case. Additionally, AMSA is seeking to determine why Rees may not have been accounted for when passengers boarded the vessel at Lizard Island. It was not publicly known what happened to the passenger count.
With information from AP
