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A two-month voyage circling the Australian Coast is being halted following the death of an elderly female passenger who was left behind by the ship on a distant island.

Suzanne Rees had been trekking on the remote island with shipmates from the vessel, but broke off from the party for a break. The ship departed without her and returned later that day after the crew realised the passenger was unaccounted for.

A major hunt located her remains the subsequent day.

Investigative bodies are investigating the incident, together with investigators and the medical examiner.

Head of the shipping company said that travelers and staff on the ship were notified that the continuation of the journey had been terminated due to the "sad loss and prior technical problems".

In a statement, he mentioned that guests would be provided a total repayment, and said the company was working "to arrange the travel back of the travelers via chartered flights".

Authorities also issued an updated announcement, and said they had "delivered a directive to the Captain" prohibiting any new passengers from entering the vessel.

The representative said that they would visit the vessel in the Australian city upon its coming back.

Sequence of Events

The ship initially left the coastal city on October 24th, and was merely two days into the journey at the time of the elderly woman's death. The remote island was the first stop on the itinerary.

Travelers on the vessel - who typically pay substantial amounts of dollars to take part in the cruise - were transported there for a daily excursion with the option of trekking or snorkeling.

Family Reaction

The daughter of the deceased woman said that her relatives was "surprised and saddened that the ship left Lizard Island after an organised excursion without my parent".

In her statement, she portrayed her mum as an "energetic elderly person" who was a participant of a bushwalking club.

"According to scant details we have been told, it appears that there was a failure of care and common sense," she stated.

She added that she desired the investigation would be able to determine what "the company should have undertaken that might have saved Mother's life".

"We understand from the authorities that it was a very hot afternoon, and mum took sick on the hill climb," she explained.

"Officials suggested her to go back, without accompaniment. Then the boat sailed away, reportedly without performing a headcount.

"At a certain moment in that chain of events, or shortly after, mother succumbed, by herself."

Organization Response

Through an announcement, the Head confirmed that the company was "working closely with authorities to aid their inquiry".

He said that the organization was "deeply sorry that this has occurred" and had extended its full support to the family.

Maritime Business Procedures

The ship accommodates up to 120 travelers with 46 crew, according to company details. It was purpose-built to enter distant areas of the Australian coastline and is outfitted with "tenders" - minor craft used to transport individuals on day excursions.

Incidents like this are infrequent, and passenger vessels have protocols to track which individuals are embarking or getting off, according to maritime specialists.

"Going ashore secretly or [back] onboard just isn't an choice," one expert stated.

Cruise lines regard these methods very seriously and have "clever tech in place to prevent such events from happening," the specialist further stated.

"This seems to be presumably a shocking - and sad - isolated incident."