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An extensive two-month cruise through the Australian Coast has been cancelled in the wake of the death of an senior woman who was abandoned by the vessel on a remote coastal location.

The elderly woman had been trekking on Lizard Island with fellow passengers from the vessel, but separated from the excursion for a break. The ship left without her and came back after some time after the ship staff discovered the passenger was not present.

An extensive hunt found her remains the subsequent day.

Investigative bodies are examining the tragedy, alongside law enforcement and the medical examiner.

Chief Executive of the voyage organizer announced that travelers and crew on the ship were told that the continuation of the journey had been cancelled due to the "sad loss and previous engine troubles".

Via official communication, he added that passengers would be given a complete reimbursement, and said the organization was working "to coordinate the travel back of the travelers via chartered flights".

Regulatory bodies also released an latest announcement, and said they had "provided a notice to the Commander" preventing any further travelers from getting on the ship.

The representative said that they would attend the liner in Cairns upon its return.

Chronology of Events

The ship initially left the coastal city on October 24th, and was just two days into the voyage at the moment of the 80-year-old's demise. Lizard Island was the first stop on the journey.

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

Relatives Statement

The daughter of the victim said that her relatives was "stunned and distressed that the ship left Lizard Island after an scheduled tour without my parent".

In her statement, she described her mum as an "active elderly person" who was a affiliate of a bushwalking group.

"From the little facts we have been provided, it looks that there was a breakdown of care and common sense," she stated.

She continued that she hoped the inquiry would be able to determine what "the operator should have done that might have saved Mum's being".

"We understand from the investigators that it was a exceptionally warm afternoon, and she became unwell on the uphill trek," she stated.

"They requested her to return, unescorted. Then the boat sailed away, seemingly without performing a passenger count.

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

Organization Position

Via official communication, the Head affirmed that the organization was "cooperating fully with authorities to assist their inquiry".

He stated that the organization was "extremely apologetic that this has transpired" and had offered its total backing to the relatives.

Maritime Business Standards

The vessel accommodates up to a hundred twenty guests with 46 staff, according to corporate details. It was specifically designed to reach isolated locations of the Australian coast and is equipped with "tenders" - compact vessels used to take passengers on day excursions.

Incidents such as this are infrequent, and cruise ships have systems to document which individuals are getting on or getting off, according to maritime specialists.

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

Cruise lines take these procedures with great importance and have "sophisticated systems in place to stop such incidents from happening," the specialist continued.

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