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A extended journey circling Australia is being halted following the tragic passing of an elderly lady who was left behind by the cruise liner on a remote island.

Suzanne Rees had been trekking on Lizard Island with shipmates from the vessel, but parted ways from the group for a rest. The ship left without her and went back later that day after the crew discovered the woman was unaccounted for.

An extensive hunt located her body the next day.

Officials are investigating the tragedy, alongside police and the state coroner.

The CEO of the shipping company said that passengers and staff on the ship were told that the rest of the cruise had been cancelled due to the "sad loss and earlier technical problems".

In a statement, he added that guests would be given a total repayment, and said the company was working "to coordinate the travel back of the passengers via specially arranged planes".

Authorities also issued an updated announcement, and said they had "delivered a notice to the Commander" prohibiting any additional guests from getting on the ship.

The representative said that they would attend the liner in the port city upon its coming back.

Sequence of Occurrences

The liner first departed the coastal city on the 24th of October, and was merely two days into the expedition at the point of the elderly woman's demise. Lizard Island was the opening port on the journey.

Passengers on the ship - who typically pay tens of thousands of money to join the expedition - were transported there for a daily excursion with the possibility of walking or snorkeling.

Relatives Response

The offspring of the deceased woman said that her loved ones was "surprised and saddened that the liner left the island after an organised outing without my mother".

Through her comments, she characterized her parent as an "energetic 80-year-old" who was a affiliate of a bushwalking organization.

"Based on limited information we have been told, it looks that there was a breakdown of care and basic judgment," she stated.

She added that she desired the inquiry would be able to identify what "the operator should have performed that might have preserved Mother's existence".

"According to reports from the police that it was a exceptionally warm day, and she fell ill on the mountain ascent," she explained.

"Officials suggested her to return, without accompaniment. Then the vessel departed, apparently without conducting a roll call.

"At some stage in that chain of events, or not long after, she died, without company."

Company Reaction

Through an announcement, the Head confirmed that the operator was "collaborating extensively with officials to assist their examination".

He mentioned that the company was "deeply sorry that this has happened" and had offered its total backing to the relatives.

Maritime Business Procedures

The vessel caters for up to 120 travelers with 46 personnel, according to corporate details. It was purpose-built to enter remote locations of Australia's coast and is equipped with "small boats" - compact vessels used to take passengers on land visits.

Occurrences of this nature are rare, and passenger vessels have systems to document which individuals are boarding or leaving, according to maritime specialists.

"Leaving covertly or [back] onboard really isn't an option," an authority stated.

Vessel operators consider these methods very seriously and have "clever tech in place to prevent such events from occurring," the expert added.

"This appears to be probably a shocking - and sad - single occurrence."