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A two-month cruise circling the Australian Coast is being halted in the wake of the tragic passing of an older lady who was stranded by the cruise liner on a distant coastal location.

The elderly woman had been trekking on Lizard Island with other travelers from the cruise ship, but parted ways from the excursion for a break. The vessel sailed away leaving her and came back later that day after the crew realised the passenger was unaccounted for.

An extensive search operation discovered her person the next day.

Investigative bodies are looking into the event, in coordination with police and the state coroner.

The CEO of the voyage organizer said that travelers and personnel on the ship were told that the continuation of the voyage had been cancelled due to the "tragic passing and earlier mechanical issues".

Through an announcement, he further stated that travelers would be given a total repayment, and said the company was working "to organize the return journeys of the passengers via chartered flights".

Officials also released an updated statement, and said they had "issued a order to the Commander" banning any additional guests from getting on the liner.

The representative said that they would visit the liner in the port city upon its arrival.

Sequence of Events

The vessel first departed the coastal city on October 24th, and was only 48 hours into the expedition at the moment of the 80-year-old's passing. Lizard Island was the first stop on the voyage.

Passengers on the ship - who generally pay large sums of dollars to join the expedition - were taken there for a shore visit with the possibility of hiking or underwater exploration.

Relatives Response

The daughter of the victim said that her loved ones was "stunned and grieved that the vessel left Lizard Island after an organised tour without my parent".

In her statement, she characterized her mother as an "energetic octogenarian" who was a member of a bushwalking organization.

"From the little details we have been told, it appears that there was a lapse of attention and common sense," she said.

She continued that she desired the investigation would be able to pinpoint what "the operator should have undertaken that might have protected Mother's being".

"According to reports from the investigators that it was a exceptionally warm day, and she fell ill on the hill climb," she explained.

"Officials suggested her to head down, alone. Then the ship left, apparently without conducting a passenger count.

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

Company Position

In a statement, the Head affirmed that the operator was "working closely with investigators to aid their examination".

He stated that the organization was "very regretful that this has occurred" and had offered its total backing to the loved ones.

Shipping Sector Practices

The ship caters for up to a hundred twenty passengers with forty-six crew, according to corporate information. It was specially constructed to enter isolated regions of the nation's coast and is equipped with "auxiliary vessels" - minor craft used to transport travelers on land visits.

Events such as this are uncommon, and passenger vessels have systems to document which passengers are embarking or getting off, according to travel authorities.

"Going ashore secretly or [back] aboard just isn't an possibility," an authority commented.

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

"This seems to be probably a stunning - and tragic - isolated incident."