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A 60-day voyage circling the Australian Coast has been cancelled in the wake of the fatal incident of an senior woman who was left behind by the cruise liner on a isolated island.

Suzanne Rees had been walking on the tropical location with fellow passengers from the cruise ship, but broke off from the group for a rest. The vessel left without her and came back several hours later after the crew became aware the lady was not present.

An extensive rescue mission found her remains the next day.

Officials are examining the event, in coordination with law enforcement and the state coroner.

Chief Executive of the cruise operator said that guests and crew on the ship were informed that the rest of the cruise had been cancelled due to the "unfortunate death and previous mechanical issues".

In a statement, he mentioned that guests would be provided a full refund, and said the operator was working "to coordinate the travel back of the individuals via specially arranged planes".

Regulatory bodies also released an latest communication, and said they had "provided a notice to the Commander" banning any additional guests from boarding the liner.

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

Sequence of Incidents

The vessel originally sailed from the Australian port on October 24th, and was just two days into the expedition at the moment of the elderly woman's demise. The remote island was the opening port on the journey.

Travelers on board - who typically pay large sums of dollars to participate in the expedition - were ferried there for a shore visit with the option of walking or underwater exploration.

Relatives Reaction

The child of the victim said that her loved ones was "stunned and grieved that the vessel left the location after an scheduled excursion without my parent".

In her statement, she described her parent as an "vigorous octogenarian" who was a participant of a bushwalking club.

"Based on limited information we have been informed, it appears that there was a lapse of responsibility and basic judgment," she said.

She continued that she hoped the examination would be able to identify what "the operator should have done that might have protected Mother's existence".

"We understand from the investigators that it was a extremely warm period, and mum took sick on the hill climb," she explained.

"They requested her to return, unescorted. Then the vessel left, reportedly without doing a roll call.

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

Company Position

In a statement, the Head confirmed that the company was "cooperating fully with investigators to aid their examination".

He stated that the company was "deeply sorry that this has happened" and had provided its full support to the loved ones.

Maritime Business Procedures

The ship caters for up to one hundred twenty guests with forty-six personnel, according to company details. It was specially constructed to reach remote areas of the Australian coast and is outfitted with "small boats" - minor craft used to take individuals on shore trips.

Occurrences like this are uncommon, and passenger vessels have procedures to document which individuals are getting on or leaving, according to travel authorities.

"Going ashore secretly or [back] aboard just isn't an possibility," an authority remarked.

Shipping companies regard these methods with great importance and have "sophisticated systems in place to avoid such incidents from occurring," the specialist further stated.

"This appears to be presumably a surprising - and sad - isolated incident."