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A two-month cruise through the Australian Coast is being halted days after the death of an elderly female passenger who was abandoned by the ship on a remote tropical isle.

Suzanne Rees had been walking on Lizard Island with fellow passengers from the Coral Adventurer, but parted ways from the group for a pause. The liner sailed away leaving her and went back later that day after the personnel realised the lady was unaccounted for.

An extensive search operation discovered her remains the next day.

Officials are examining the incident, in coordination with investigators and the state coroner.

Head of the shipping company announced that travelers and personnel on the Coral Adventurer were told that the remainder of the cruise had been cancelled due to the "sad loss and prior engine troubles".

In a statement, he added that guests would be issued a full refund, and said the organization was working "to arrange the travel back of the travelers via chartered flights".

Officials also released an revised statement, and said they had "issued a notice to the Captain" banning any additional guests from entering the liner.

The spokesperson said that they would attend the ship in the Australian city upon its arrival.

Timeline of Events

The liner initially left the coastal city on the 24th of October, and was just two days into the journey at the time of the senior passenger's death. The tropical location was the initial destination on the voyage.

Guests on the vessel - who generally pay large sums of currency to participate in the voyage - were taken there for a day trip with the choice of hiking or snorkelling.

Relatives Response

The child of the victim said that her family was "shocked and saddened that the vessel left the location after an planned tour without my mum".

Via her announcement, she characterized her mother as an "active 80-year-old" who was a member of a walking club.

"From the little details we have been told, it looks that there was a failure of responsibility and basic judgment," she stated.

She added that she wished the inquiry would be able to determine what "the organization should have performed that might have saved Her life".

"According to reports from the authorities that it was a exceptionally warm day, and mum took sick on the hill climb," she revealed.

"She was asked her to return, alone. Then the ship left, apparently without doing a passenger count.

"At some stage in that sequence, or shortly after, mum passed away, without company."

Organization Response

In a statement, the CEO verified that the company was "working closely with officials to assist their inquiry".

He stated that the company was "deeply sorry that this has occurred" and had provided its full support to the family.

Cruise Industry Procedures

The liner accommodates up to a hundred twenty travelers with 46 personnel, according to company details. It was specifically designed to access remote locations of the Australian coast and is equipped with "tenders" - minor craft used to take travelers on shore trips.

Incidents like this are infrequent, and passenger vessels have procedures to record which passengers are embarking or getting off, according to maritime specialists.

"Sneaking ashore or [back] aboard just isn't an possibility," an authority stated.

Cruise lines consider these procedures with great importance and have "advanced technology in place to avoid such occurrences from happening," the specialist added.

"This is presumably a shocking - and tragic - single occurrence."