Australian Cruise Ship Leaves Passenger Behind, Resulting in Remote Island Death

Suzanne Rees, an 80-year-old woman from New South Wales, tragically died alone on the remote Lizard Island during a cruise trip around Australia aboard the Coral Adventurer. She fell ill during a group hike to the island's highest peak, Cook's Look, and was asked to return unescorted, after which the ship departed without conducting a full passenger count, leaving her behind. The ship only realized she was missing when she failed to show up for dinner hours later, prompting a search involving a helicopter and the ship's return to the island, where her body was found near the hiking trail. Passengers on nearby vessels reported hearing emergency radio signals from Coral Expeditions, and there are questions about the tour company's escorting policies and why the ship left without her. This incident has drawn attention to the rare but harrowing occurrences of cruise passengers being abandoned or left behind, echoing previous cases of passengers stranded due to early ship departures amid emergencies. A multi-agency investigation is underway to determine how such a tragic oversight occurred and to prevent future incidents.