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One extended voyage around Australia was terminated days after the tragic passing of an senior woman who was stranded by the vessel on a remote tropical isle.

Suzanne Rees had been trekking on Lizard Island with other travelers from the cruise ship, but separated from the group for a break. The liner sailed away leaving her and came back later that day after the crew discovered the lady was unaccounted for.

A major hunt found her remains the next day.

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

Chief Executive of the shipping company said that travelers and staff on the Coral Adventurer were informed that the continuation of the journey had been terminated due to the "unfortunate death and prior engine troubles".

In a statement, he further stated that guests would be issued a complete reimbursement, and said the company was working "to coordinate the travel back of the passengers via private aircraft".

Authorities also published an latest announcement, and said they had "delivered a notice to the Captain" preventing any new passengers from entering the ship.

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

Chronology of Incidents

The liner initially left the coastal city on October 24th, and was merely two days into the expedition at the time of the elderly woman's passing. The remote island was the first stop on the voyage.

Guests on the vessel - who typically pay tens of thousands of dollars to take part in the expedition - were transported there for a daily excursion with the possibility of hiking or underwater exploration.

Relatives Reaction

The daughter of the victim said that her relatives was "surprised and saddened that the ship left the location after an organised outing without my mother".

In her statement, she portrayed her mum as an "energetic 80-year-old" who was a affiliate of a bushwalking club.

"According to scant details we have been told, it appears that there was a failure of responsibility and basic judgment," she said.

She further stated that she wished the inquiry would be able to identify what "the organization should have done that might have saved Her existence".

"According to reports from the police that it was a extremely warm afternoon, and mum took sick on the mountain ascent," she stated.

"She was asked her to return, unescorted. Then the boat departed, seemingly without performing a passenger count.

"During some point in that process, or shortly after, she passed away, alone."

Company Position

Via official communication, the Chief Executive verified that the operator was "cooperating fully with officials to support their investigation".

He stated that the organization was "very regretful that this has occurred" and had provided its full support to the relatives.

Shipping Sector Practices

The ship serves up to one hundred twenty travelers with 46 personnel, according to company information. It was specifically designed to reach isolated areas of the Australian shoreline and is equipped with "small boats" - small boats used to transport passengers on land visits.

Events such as this are rare, and cruise ships have protocols to track which passengers are getting on or getting off, according to industry experts.

"Going ashore secretly or [back] aboard simply isn't an option," a specialist remarked.

Cruise lines take these methods very seriously and have "clever tech in place to stop such incidents from occurring," the expert added.

"This is presumably a surprising - and sad - isolated incident."