The daughter of an 80-year-old woman who was left behind by a cruise ship on a remote island and later died has accused the operator of a ‘failure of care and common sense.’ Suzanne Rees, a healthy and active woman from New South Wales, was found dead on Lizard Island, part of the Great Barrier Reef, on Sunday. She had been hiking with fellow passengers the previous day but was not on the ship when it departed hours later. Her daughter, Katherine Rees, expressed her shock and sadness, stating that the Coral Adventurer left ‘without my mum.’ She criticized the cruise operator for not ensuring her mother’s safety, especially given the extreme heat and her mother’s need to rest during the hike. Suzanne had been on the first stop of a 60-day cruise around Australia, which had departed from Cairns earlier in the week. Passengers, who pay tens of thousands of dollars for the cruise, were taken to Lizard Island for a day trip with options for hiking or snorkeling. Suzanne had joined a group hike to the island’s highest peak, Cook’s Look, but separated from the group to rest. Katherine Rees revealed that her mother fell ill during the hike and was instructed to return unescorted. The ship allegedly departed without conducting a passenger count, leaving Suzanne alone on the island. Katherine hopes a coronial inquiry will determine what actions the company could have taken to save her mother’s life. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) is investigating the incident and will meet with the ship’s crew when it docks in Darwin later this week. AMSA was first alerted to Suzanne’s disappearance by the ship’s captain at around 21:00 local time on Saturday. A search party was dispatched but failed to locate her until her body was discovered by a helicopter on Sunday morning. Mark Fifield, CEO of Coral Expeditions, expressed deep sorrow for the tragedy and assured that the company is cooperating with authorities. The Coral Adventurer, designed to access remote areas of Australia’s coast, accommodates up to 120 guests and 46 crew members. Harriet Mallinson, a cruise editor, noted that such incidents are rare, as cruise ships typically have robust systems to track passenger movements. She described the event as a ‘shocking and tragic one-off.’