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One 60-day voyage through the Australian Coast was terminated days after the tragic passing of an elderly female passenger who was left behind by the ship on a remote coastal location.

Suzanne Rees had been hiking on the remote island with other travelers from the vessel, but separated from the excursion for a break. The ship left without her and went back after some time after the personnel discovered the lady was not present.

A large-scale rescue mission located her body the next day.

Investigative bodies are looking into the tragedy, together with investigators and the official investigator.

Chief Executive of the shipping company stated that passengers and crew on the ship were informed that the rest of the voyage had been cancelled due to the "sad loss and previous engine troubles".

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

Officials also released an updated announcement, and said they had "provided a order to the Master" prohibiting any additional guests from boarding the ship.

The representative said that they would inspect the ship in the port city upon its arrival.

Sequence of Incidents

The ship originally sailed from the Australian port on the 24th of October, and was merely two days into the voyage at the point of the elderly woman's demise. The tropical location was the initial destination on the itinerary.

Passengers on the vessel - who generally pay large sums of currency to take part in the voyage - were taken there for a shore visit with the choice of hiking or underwater exploration.

Relatives Reaction

The child of the deceased woman said that her loved ones was "shocked and saddened that the ship left Lizard Island after an organised excursion without my mum".

In her statement, she portrayed her mum as an "active elderly person" who was a member of a bushwalking club.

"From the little information we have been told, it looks that there was a breakdown of attention and ordinary reasoning," she said.

She added that she desired the examination would be able to identify what "the company should have done that might have protected Mother's being".

"We understand from the police that it was a exceptionally warm afternoon, and mother became unwell on the uphill trek," she explained.

"They requested her to head down, unescorted. Then the ship sailed away, apparently without conducting a passenger count.

"During some point in that sequence, or shortly after, she passed away, without company."

Organization Reaction

In a statement, the Chief Executive verified that the company was "working closely with authorities to support their inquiry".

He stated that the company was "deeply sorry that this has happened" and had extended its full support to the relatives.

Shipping Sector Procedures

The vessel caters for up to 120 guests with 46 staff, according to company information. It was specifically designed to access distant regions of the Australian shoreline and is equipped with "tenders" - minor craft used to take individuals on day excursions.

Events such as this are infrequent, and cruise ships have procedures to track which individuals are boarding or disembarking, according to travel authorities.

"Going ashore secretly or [back] on the ship simply isn't an choice," one expert remarked.

Shipping companies regard these procedures extremely carefully and have "sophisticated systems in place to prevent such events from occurring," the authority continued.

"This is presumably a shocking - and unfortunate - one-off."