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A extended cruise around Australia is being halted days after the death of an senior lady who was abandoned by the ship on a isolated tropical isle.

Suzanne Rees had been hiking on the remote island with other travelers from the cruise ship, but parted ways from the excursion for a break. The ship sailed away leaving her and returned several hours later after the crew discovered the woman was not present.

An extensive hunt found her body the subsequent day.

Investigative bodies are examining the incident, in coordination with police and the medical examiner.

Chief Executive of the voyage organizer announced that guests and crew on the vessel were notified that the remainder of the journey had been terminated due to the "tragic passing and previous engine troubles".

Through an announcement, he mentioned that passengers would be issued a full refund, and said the company was working "to arrange the travel back of the travelers via chartered flights".

Authorities also released an revised announcement, and said they had "provided a order to the Master" banning any further travelers from boarding the liner.

The official said that they would attend the liner in Cairns upon its return.

Timeline of Events

The vessel initially left the coastal city on October 24th, and was only 48 hours into the expedition at the time of the elderly woman's demise. The tropical location was the initial destination on the journey.

Passengers on the ship - who usually pay substantial amounts of dollars to participate in the voyage - were ferried there for a daily excursion with the possibility of walking or snorkelling.

Relatives Reaction

The daughter of the deceased woman said that her relatives was "surprised and distressed that the liner left the location after an planned outing without my mother".

In her statement, she described her mother as an "vigorous octogenarian" who was a member of a walking organization.

"From the little facts we have been provided, it looks that there was a failure of care and common sense," she said.

She added that she hoped the investigation would be able to pinpoint what "the operator should have performed that might have saved Mother's life".

"According to reports from the police that it was a very hot day, and mum took sick on the mountain ascent," she stated.

"Officials suggested her to return, without accompaniment. Then the ship departed, apparently without conducting a passenger count.

"At some stage in that process, or soon after, she passed away, without company."

Company Response

In a statement, the Chief Executive verified that the operator was "cooperating fully with officials to aid their examination".

He said that the company was "extremely apologetic that this has occurred" and had provided its complete assistance to the relatives.

Maritime Business Standards

The liner caters for up to 120 guests with 46 staff, according to official details. It was specifically designed to access distant areas of Australia's coast and is equipped with "small boats" - minor craft used to take passengers on day excursions.

Events of this nature are infrequent, and liners have systems to record which individuals are embarking or disembarking, according to maritime specialists.

"Leaving covertly or [back] onboard simply isn't an choice," one expert commented.

Vessel operators consider these processes with great importance and have "sophisticated systems in place to prevent such occurrences from taking place," the authority further stated.

"This appears to be presumably a shocking - and tragic - one-off."