SYDNEY: A cruise around Australia was cancelled after an elderly passenger was left behind on a remote island and found dead a day later.
Suzanne Rees (pic), 80, was hiking with fellow passengers of the Coral Adventure ship to a lookout spot on Lizard Island, in the Great Barrier Reef, on October 25.
Rees felt unwell and began heading back to the ship unescorted, according to national broadcaster ABC.
The cruise ship left the island that evening, without Rees on board, and only returned hours later in search of her. Her body was found the next day.
The rest of the tour was cancelled, Coral Expeditions CEO Mark Fifield told ABC on Saturday, citing Rees' death and "previous mechanical issues".
He said the company prides itself on delivering "high-quality experiences" but it was "increasingly apparent given the circumstances of the last week that we could not deliver on this promise".
Passengers will receive a full refund.
Rees' daughter, Katherine Rees, told reporters she was "shocked and saddened" that the cruise had left the island without her mother, who was a "healthy, active" gardener and bushwalker.
"From the little we have been told, it seems that there was a failure of care and common sense," she said.
Queensland police said last week Rees' death was being treated as "non-suspicious".
The cruise, which had a capacity for 120 passengers, had been on a 60-day tour of Australia. - AFP
