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One two-month voyage through the Land Down Under was terminated in the wake of the tragic passing of an elderly female passenger who was left behind by the vessel on a remote island.

Suzanne Rees had been walking on the tropical location with shipmates from the cruise ship, but separated from the group for a pause. The liner sailed away leaving her and came back after some time after the personnel became aware the lady was unaccounted for.

An extensive search operation found her body the next day.

Officials are looking into the incident, in coordination with police and the medical examiner.

Chief Executive of the cruise operator announced that guests and staff on the ship were notified that the remainder of the voyage had been terminated due to the "unfortunate death and earlier technical problems".

In a statement, he mentioned that passengers would be issued a full refund, and said the operator was working "to coordinate the return journeys of the individuals via chartered flights".

Regulatory bodies also published an revised announcement, and said they had "provided a notice to the Commander" preventing any new passengers from getting on the vessel.

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

Timeline of Events

The vessel initially left 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 first stop on the journey.

Guests on board - who typically pay tens of thousands of dollars to join the voyage - were transported there for a daily excursion with the option of hiking or snorkeling.

Next of Kin Reaction

The daughter of the deceased woman said that her family was "shocked and saddened that the vessel left Lizard Island after an scheduled outing without my parent".

In her statement, she characterized her mum as an "energetic elderly person" who was a participant of a hiking organization.

"According to scant details we have been provided, it appears that there was a breakdown of attention and common sense," she said.

She added that she hoped the examination would be able to determine what "the operator should have performed that might have protected Her being".

"According to reports from the investigators that it was a exceptionally warm period, and mother took sick on the hill climb," she explained.

"Officials suggested her to head down, without accompaniment. Then the ship left, seemingly without doing a headcount.

"During some point in that sequence, or soon after, mum passed away, without company."

Operator Response

Through an announcement, the CEO confirmed that the company was "working closely with officials to aid their examination".

He mentioned that the company was "very regretful that this has occurred" and had offered its full support to the loved ones.

Shipping Sector Standards

The vessel serves up to 120 travelers with 46 staff, according to corporate information. It was specifically designed to reach distant locations of Australia's coastline and is outfitted with "small boats" - minor craft used to take travelers on shore trips.

Events like this are infrequent, and passenger vessels have systems to document which passengers are boarding or leaving, according to industry experts.

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

Shipping companies consider these procedures extremely carefully and have "clever tech in place to avoid such occurrences from taking place," the expert added.

"This appears to be presumably a shocking - and tragic - one-off."