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A two-month voyage through the Australian Coast is being halted days after the death of an elderly woman who was stranded by the ship on a remote tropical isle.

The elderly woman had been hiking on Lizard Island with fellow passengers from the vessel, but broke off from the party for a break. The liner sailed away leaving her and went back later that day after the crew realised the lady was missing.

A large-scale rescue mission located her body the subsequent day.

Investigative bodies are investigating the incident, together with police and the state coroner.

Head of the cruise operator said that passengers and staff on the vessel were notified that the rest of the voyage had been called off due to the "unfortunate death and prior engine troubles".

Via official communication, he added that passengers would be provided a total repayment, and said the organization was working "to organize the return journeys of the passengers via private aircraft".

Officials also published an revised announcement, and said they had "provided a order to the Master" banning any additional guests from boarding the liner.

The official said that they would inspect the vessel in the Australian city upon its coming back.

Sequence of Incidents

The vessel initially left the coastal city on 24 October, and was just two days into the journey at the time of the elderly woman's passing. Lizard Island was the initial destination on the journey.

Passengers on the ship - who typically pay tens of thousands of currency to join the expedition - were taken there for a day trip with the choice of walking or snorkelling.

Next of Kin Statement

The child of the elderly passenger said that her loved ones was "surprised and distressed that the liner left the island after an organised tour without my mum".

In her statement, she characterized her mum as an "energetic 80-year-old" who was a participant of a hiking group.

"According to scant facts we have been provided, it looks that there was a failure of responsibility and basic judgment," she stated.

She added that she hoped the examination would be able to pinpoint what "the organization should have performed that might have protected Her existence".

"Based on information from the authorities that it was a extremely warm day, and mum fell ill on the uphill trek," she stated.

"They requested her to return, without accompaniment. Then the vessel sailed away, reportedly without doing a passenger count.

"At a certain moment in that sequence, or shortly after, mum died, alone."

Company Reaction

Via official communication, the Chief Executive verified that the operator was "collaborating extensively with investigators to support their inquiry".

He said that the company was "extremely apologetic that this has transpired" and had offered its complete assistance to the loved ones.

Cruise Industry Practices

The vessel serves up to one hundred twenty travelers with 46 staff, according to company details. It was specifically designed to enter remote locations of the nation's shoreline and is equipped with "auxiliary vessels" - minor craft used to take travelers on shore trips.

Events of this nature are rare, and liners have protocols to document which individuals are getting on or disembarking, according to maritime specialists.

"Leaving covertly or [back] onboard just isn't an option," a specialist commented.

Shipping companies consider these processes very seriously and have "sophisticated systems in place to stop such events from happening," the specialist further stated.

"This seems to be presumably a stunning - and unfortunate - one-off."