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A 60-day journey through the Australian Coast was terminated following the fatal incident of an elderly woman who was left behind by the ship on a isolated tropical isle.

The passenger had been walking on Lizard Island with shipmates from the vessel, but separated from the group for a break. The vessel sailed away leaving her and came back several hours later after the personnel realised the lady was unaccounted for.

A large-scale search operation located her person the subsequent day.

Authorities are examining the tragedy, in coordination with law enforcement and the official investigator.

Head of the cruise operator said that travelers and personnel on the vessel were informed that the remainder of the voyage had been cancelled due to the "sad loss and earlier engine troubles".

In a statement, he further stated that guests would be issued a total repayment, and said the organization was working "to organize the travel back of the travelers via private aircraft".

Regulatory bodies also published an updated announcement, and said they had "delivered a order to the Commander" prohibiting any new passengers from getting on the liner.

The spokesperson said that they would visit the ship in Cairns upon its return.

Chronology of Incidents

The vessel first departed the coastal city on the 24th of October, and was merely two days into the journey at the time of the senior passenger's death. The tropical location was the opening port on the voyage.

Travelers on board - who typically pay substantial amounts of money to join the cruise - were transported there for a daily excursion with the possibility of walking or snorkeling.

Family Reaction

The daughter of the elderly passenger said that her loved ones was "shocked and grieved that the ship left the location after an planned outing without my parent".

Through her comments, she described her mum as an "active 80-year-old" who was a affiliate of a bushwalking group.

"From the little details we have been told, it seems that there was a failure of responsibility and common sense," she stated.

She added that she wished the investigation would be able to pinpoint what "the company should have done that might have protected Mum's existence".

"We understand from the investigators that it was a extremely warm day, and mother took sick on the mountain ascent," she explained.

"She was asked her to go back, without accompaniment. Then the vessel left, apparently without doing a passenger count.

"At a certain moment in that process, or shortly after, mother died, by herself."

Company Reaction

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

He said that the organization was "extremely apologetic that this has occurred" and had offered its full support to the relatives.

Shipping Sector Practices

The liner accommodates up to 120 travelers with forty-six staff, according to company details. It was specially constructed to reach distant locations of Australia's coastline and is equipped with "auxiliary vessels" - minor craft used to transport passengers on day excursions.

Occurrences of this nature are uncommon, and liners have procedures to document which individuals are getting on or getting off, according to travel authorities.

"Going ashore secretly or [back] on the ship simply isn't an option," an authority commented.

Vessel operators regard these processes with great importance and have "advanced technology in place to prevent such occurrences from occurring," the expert further stated.

"This appears to be presumably a surprising - and unfortunate - one-off."