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One two-month voyage circling the Land Down Under was terminated in the wake of the fatal incident of an elderly woman who was left behind by the ship on a remote tropical isle.

Suzanne Rees had been trekking on the remote island with other travelers from the vessel, but separated from the party for a pause. The vessel left without her and returned after some time after the crew discovered the woman was missing.

A large-scale search operation found her person the following day.

Investigative bodies are examining the incident, together with law enforcement and the medical examiner.

Head of the cruise operator announced that travelers and crew on the vessel were told that the remainder of the cruise had been cancelled due to the "sad loss and prior mechanical issues".

In a statement, he added that guests would be given a total repayment, and said the operator was working "to arrange the return journeys of the individuals via chartered flights".

Regulatory bodies also issued an latest statement, and said they had "issued a notice to the Commander" preventing any new passengers from getting on the vessel.

The representative said that they would attend the ship in Cairns upon its coming back.

Chronology of Events

The ship originally sailed from Cairns on October 24th, and was merely two days into the expedition at the point of the 80-year-old's death. Lizard Island was the opening port on the journey.

Passengers on the ship - who usually pay tens of thousands of dollars to join the voyage - were taken there for a daily excursion with the possibility of hiking or snorkeling.

Family Reaction

The daughter of the victim said that her relatives was "surprised and distressed that the vessel left the island after an planned excursion without my mother".

Through her comments, she portrayed her parent as an "active octogenarian" who was a affiliate of a bushwalking organization.

"From the little details we have been informed, it seems that there was a failure of responsibility and ordinary reasoning," she said.

She further stated that she hoped the investigation would be able to determine what "the operator should have performed that might have protected Her life".

"Based on information from the police that it was a extremely warm day, and mum took sick on the mountain ascent," she revealed.

"They requested her to head down, unescorted. Then the boat sailed away, apparently without performing a roll call.

"During some point in that process, or shortly after, mother died, alone."

Company Reaction

In a statement, the Head confirmed that the operator was "cooperating fully with investigators to assist their examination".

He mentioned that the firm was "deeply sorry that this has happened" and had extended its full support to the relatives.

Shipping Sector Practices

The liner serves up to one hundred twenty travelers with 46 crew, according to company data. It was purpose-built to enter distant areas of Australia's coastline and is fitted with "auxiliary vessels" - minor craft used to take passengers on land visits.

Occurrences like this are rare, and passenger vessels have protocols to record which passengers are getting on or disembarking, according to industry experts.

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

Vessel operators consider these methods extremely carefully and have "sophisticated systems in place to stop such incidents from occurring," the authority added.

"This appears to be presumably a shocking - and tragic - isolated incident."