Overview
- Police and family accounts say 80-year-old Suzanne Rees became unwell during a guided hike on Lizard Island on October 25 and was asked to descend alone.
- The ship departed before her absence was noticed at dinner, then returned in the early hours as a search team later found her body about 50 meters off the trail.
- Authorities indicated she may have fallen, with a forensic examination requested to determine the cause of death.
- The Australian Maritime Safety Authority directed Coral Adventurer back to Cairns and restricted new boarding as police and workplace-safety investigations proceed.
- Coral Expeditions said it is cooperating, canceled the 60-day cruise, and offered full refunds, while Rees’s daughter accuses the company of negligent and irresponsible conduct.