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An extensive 60-day journey circling Australia has been cancelled following the tragic passing of an elderly woman who was abandoned by the ship on a distant tropical isle.

Suzanne Rees had been trekking on Lizard Island with shipmates from the vessel, but broke off from the group for a rest. The ship sailed away leaving her and went back after some time after the ship staff discovered the woman was unaccounted for.

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

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

Head of the shipping company announced that travelers and crew on the vessel were notified that the continuation of the voyage had been cancelled due to the "sad loss and earlier mechanical issues".

Via official communication, he further stated that travelers would be provided a total repayment, and said the company was working "to arrange the travel back of the travelers via chartered flights".

Regulatory bodies also issued an latest communication, and said they had "provided a directive to the Captain" banning any further travelers from boarding the vessel.

The spokesperson said that they would attend the ship in Cairns upon its return.

Timeline of Events

The ship initially left Cairns on October 24th, and was only 48 hours into the voyage at the time of the 80-year-old's death. The tropical location was the opening port on the journey.

Travelers on the vessel - who usually pay substantial amounts of currency to participate in the cruise - were transported there for a day trip with the choice of walking or snorkeling.

Relatives Response

The daughter of the deceased woman said that her family was "stunned and saddened that the vessel left the island after an scheduled excursion without my mum".

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

"According to scant details we have been told, it looks that there was a breakdown of responsibility and ordinary reasoning," she stated.

She added that she wished the inquiry would be able to identify what "the company should have performed that might have protected Her existence".

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

"Officials suggested her to head down, without accompaniment. Then the boat sailed away, seemingly without doing a headcount.

"At some stage in that chain of events, or shortly after, she passed away, by herself."

Operator Reaction

In a statement, the CEO affirmed that the company was "working closely with authorities to assist their investigation".

He stated that the firm was "deeply sorry that this has occurred" and had extended its complete assistance to the relatives.

Cruise Industry Practices

The ship caters for up to 120 travelers with nearly fifty staff, according to corporate details. It was specifically designed to enter distant locations of the Australian coast and is fitted with "auxiliary vessels" - compact vessels used to ferry passengers on shore trips.

Occurrences like this are rare, and liners have protocols to document which travelers are boarding or getting off, according to industry experts.

"Leaving covertly or [back] aboard really isn't an option," one expert commented.

Cruise lines take these processes with great importance and have "sophisticated systems in place to avoid such incidents from taking place," the expert continued.

"This is most likely a stunning - and tragic - isolated incident."