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A two-month cruise through the Australian Coast has been cancelled following the death of an elderly woman who was stranded by the vessel on a distant island.

Suzanne Rees had been walking on Lizard Island with other travelers from the vessel, but broke off from the party for a break. The vessel sailed away leaving her and went back later that day after the crew discovered the woman was missing.

A large-scale hunt found her remains the subsequent day.

Investigative bodies are looking into the event, in coordination with police and the official investigator.

Chief Executive of the cruise operator said that guests and personnel on the ship were notified that the rest of the voyage had been called off due to the "sad loss and prior technical problems".

Via official communication, he mentioned that passengers would be given a total repayment, and said the company was working "to organize the travel back of the travelers via chartered flights".

Officials also issued an updated statement, and said they had "delivered a notice to the Master" preventing any new passengers from getting on the liner.

The official said that they would attend the vessel in Cairns upon its coming back.

Sequence of Events

The ship initially left Cairns on 24 October, and was just two days into the voyage at the time of the elderly woman's passing. The tropical location was the initial destination on the journey.

Passengers on the vessel - who generally pay tens of thousands of currency to participate in the voyage - were taken there for a shore visit with the choice of trekking or snorkeling.

Next of Kin Reaction

The daughter of the deceased woman said that her family was "stunned and grieved that the liner left the island after an planned tour without my mother".

In her statement, she described her parent as an "active 80-year-old" who was a member of a bushwalking group.

"According to scant details we have been told, it looks that there was a lapse of attention and common sense," she mentioned.

She added that she hoped the investigation would be able to identify what "the operator should have performed that might have preserved Mother's life".

"We understand from the police that it was a very hot afternoon, and mum became unwell on the hill climb," she explained.

"She was asked her to head down, without accompaniment. Then the boat left, reportedly without performing a roll call.

"During some point in that chain of events, or soon after, she died, alone."

Organization Position

In a statement, the Head affirmed that the organization was "cooperating fully with authorities to support their inquiry".

He said that the firm was "extremely apologetic that this has transpired" and had provided its total backing to the loved ones.

Cruise Industry Procedures

The ship caters for up to a hundred twenty passengers with nearly fifty staff, according to official data. It was purpose-built to access isolated regions of the Australian coast and is equipped with "small boats" - small boats used to take passengers on land visits.

Incidents such as this are uncommon, and liners have systems to document which travelers are boarding or disembarking, according to maritime specialists.

"Sneaking ashore or [back] aboard simply isn't an option," one expert remarked.

Shipping companies take these methods very seriously and have "advanced technology in place to avoid such occurrences from occurring," the specialist continued.

"This is most likely a shocking - and unfortunate - single occurrence."