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One two-month cruise around Australia has been cancelled days after the tragic passing of an elderly lady who was stranded by the cruise liner on a distant island.

Suzanne Rees had been hiking on the tropical location with fellow passengers from the cruise ship, but broke off from the group for a break. The ship sailed away leaving her and went back after some time after the ship staff discovered the woman was not present.

A large-scale rescue mission discovered her person the subsequent day.

Authorities are examining the incident, alongside police and the medical examiner.

Chief Executive of the voyage organizer stated that travelers and crew on the vessel were notified that the remainder of the journey had been terminated due to the "unfortunate death and prior mechanical issues".

Through an announcement, he further stated that guests would be given a full refund, and said the organization was working "to organize the return journeys of the individuals via specially arranged planes".

Regulatory bodies also issued an updated statement, and said they had "provided a notice to the Commander" prohibiting any additional guests from entering the liner.

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

Timeline of Events

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

Travelers on the ship - who typically pay large sums of dollars to join the cruise - were ferried there for a shore visit with the choice of trekking or snorkeling.

Relatives Statement

The daughter of the elderly passenger said that her loved ones was "shocked and grieved that the ship left Lizard Island after an scheduled outing without my mum".

Through her comments, she described her parent as an "active elderly person" who was a participant of a bushwalking organization.

"Based on limited information we have been told, it seems that there was a failure of responsibility and basic judgment," she said.

She continued that she wished the investigation would be able to identify what "the organization should have done that might have protected Mum's existence".

"According to reports from the police that it was a very hot period, and mother took sick on the uphill trek," she stated.

"They requested her to return, without accompaniment. Then the vessel left, seemingly without doing a roll call.

"At some stage in that process, or soon after, mum died, alone."

Organization Response

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

He said that the organization was "extremely apologetic that this has transpired" and had offered its full support to the relatives.

Shipping Sector Procedures

The ship accommodates up to one hundred twenty passengers with 46 personnel, according to company data. It was purpose-built to reach distant locations of Australia's shoreline and is outfitted with "auxiliary vessels" - small boats used to transport individuals on land visits.

Events of this nature are uncommon, and passenger vessels have systems to track which individuals are embarking or disembarking, according to maritime specialists.

"Leaving covertly or [back] aboard just isn't an option," an authority commented.

Cruise lines regard these processes very seriously and have "sophisticated systems in place to prevent such events from happening," the authority further stated.

"This is presumably a surprising - and tragic - one-off."