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One two-month cruise around the Land Down Under was terminated in the wake of the fatal incident of an senior female passenger who was left behind by the cruise liner on a remote island.

The passenger had been walking on Lizard Island with other travelers from the cruise ship, but separated from the group for a break. The liner departed without her and went back several hours later after the ship staff realised the lady was missing.

A large-scale hunt located her body the following day.

Authorities are examining the incident, together with police and the state coroner.

Head of the voyage organizer announced that travelers and staff on the vessel were told that the continuation of the journey had been called off due to the "sad loss and previous technical problems".

Via official communication, he further stated that guests would be issued a full refund, and said the organization was working "to coordinate the return journeys of the travelers via specially arranged planes".

Officials also published an revised communication, and said they had "issued a notice to the Master" prohibiting any new passengers from boarding the vessel.

The representative said that they would visit the vessel in the Australian city upon its arrival.

Timeline of Occurrences

The vessel initially left the Australian port on the 24th of October, and was merely two days into the voyage at the time of the elderly woman's demise. Lizard Island was the first stop on the journey.

Passengers on the ship - who generally pay substantial amounts of currency to join the expedition - were transported there for a shore visit with the choice of walking or snorkelling.

Family Reaction

The daughter of the victim said that her relatives was "stunned and saddened that the ship left the island after an scheduled excursion without my mother".

In her statement, she described her parent as an "active elderly person" who was a member of a hiking organization.

"Based on limited facts we have been informed, it seems that there was a failure of attention and basic judgment," she said.

She continued that she wished the inquiry would be able to determine what "the operator should have undertaken that might have saved Mum's being".

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

"They requested her to go back, alone. Then the vessel left, apparently without doing a headcount.

"At a certain moment in that process, or shortly after, mum passed away, without company."

Company Response

Through an announcement, the CEO confirmed that the organization was "collaborating extensively with investigators to assist their inquiry".

He mentioned that the firm was "deeply sorry that this has occurred" and had provided its total backing to the family.

Maritime Business Standards

The liner caters for up to one hundred twenty travelers with nearly fifty crew, according to company details. It was specially constructed to enter remote locations of Australia's coast and is fitted with "tenders" - small boats used to ferry individuals on land visits.

Occurrences like this are rare, and passenger vessels have systems to document which travelers are boarding or leaving, according to travel authorities.

"Sneaking ashore or [back] onboard just isn't an choice," a specialist commented.

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

"This seems to be presumably a surprising - and unfortunate - isolated incident."