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An extensive two-month voyage through the Land Down Under is being halted days after the fatal incident of an older lady who was stranded by the vessel on a remote tropical isle.

Suzanne Rees had been hiking on Lizard Island with shipmates from the cruise ship, but parted ways from the excursion for a rest. The ship departed without her and returned after some time after the crew discovered the passenger was unaccounted for.

A major rescue mission located her body the subsequent day.

Authorities are looking into the tragedy, alongside law enforcement and the official investigator.

Head of the voyage organizer stated that passengers and crew on the ship were notified that the continuation of the cruise had been cancelled due to the "tragic passing and earlier engine troubles".

In a statement, he mentioned that guests would be issued a total repayment, and said the operator was working "to organize the homeward trips of the passengers via chartered flights".

Officials also released an updated statement, and said they had "issued a order to the Captain" banning any further travelers from boarding the liner.

The spokesperson said that they would inspect the vessel in Cairns upon its coming back.

Timeline of Occurrences

The ship initially left Cairns on October 24th, and was just two days into the journey at the moment of the senior passenger's passing. The tropical location was the first stop on the voyage.

Travelers on the ship - who usually pay tens of thousands of currency to take part in the expedition - were taken there for a daily excursion with the possibility of walking or snorkeling.

Next of Kin Response

The daughter of the deceased woman said that her relatives was "stunned and grieved that the liner left the island after an scheduled excursion without my mum".

Through her comments, she characterized her parent as an "vigorous elderly person" who was a member of a walking club.

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

She further stated that she hoped the investigation would be able to determine what "the company should have undertaken that might have protected Mum's life".

"We understand from the investigators that it was a very hot day, and mother became unwell on the hill climb," she explained.

"Officials suggested her to go back, unescorted. Then the boat sailed away, reportedly without doing a headcount.

"At a certain moment in that sequence, or not long after, mother died, without company."

Operator Position

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

He stated that the firm was "extremely apologetic that this has transpired" and had offered its complete assistance to the relatives.

Cruise Industry Practices

The liner caters for up to 120 guests with forty-six personnel, according to company data. It was specifically designed to reach remote locations of the Australian shoreline and is outfitted with "tenders" - small boats used to ferry travelers on shore trips.

Events such as this are rare, and passenger vessels have protocols to record which individuals are embarking or disembarking, according to maritime specialists.

"Sneaking ashore or [back] on the ship simply isn't an possibility," a specialist remarked.

Cruise lines consider these processes very seriously and have "clever tech in place to avoid such events from occurring," the specialist further stated.

"This seems to be probably a surprising - and tragic - single occurrence."