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A 60-day voyage around the Australian Coast is being halted in the wake of the death of an elderly woman who was stranded by the vessel on a remote island.

The passenger had been trekking on Lizard Island with fellow passengers from the Coral Adventurer, but broke off from the group for a pause. The vessel sailed away leaving her and came back several hours later after the crew became aware the passenger was missing.

An extensive search operation located her body the following day.

Authorities are investigating the incident, in coordination with law enforcement and the state coroner.

Head of the shipping company announced that passengers and personnel on the vessel were notified that the continuation of the journey had been cancelled due to the "tragic passing and prior engine troubles".

In a statement, he added that guests would be given a full refund, and said the company was working "to arrange the travel back of the travelers via specially arranged planes".

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

The official said that they would attend the ship in the Australian city upon its coming back.

Timeline of Events

The liner first departed the Australian port on October 24th, and was just two days into the voyage at the point of the elderly woman's death. The remote island was the initial destination on the voyage.

Passengers on the ship - who generally pay substantial amounts of dollars to join the voyage - were ferried there for a shore visit with the choice of trekking or snorkeling.

Family Response

The offspring of the elderly passenger said that her family was "surprised and grieved that the ship left Lizard Island after an organised tour without my parent".

Through her comments, she described her mother as an "active elderly person" who was a participant of a bushwalking organization.

"According to scant information we have been provided, it looks that there was a failure of care and common sense," she said.

She added that she desired the inquiry would be able to determine what "the organization should have undertaken that might have saved Her existence".

"According to reports from the police that it was a exceptionally warm afternoon, and mum took sick on the uphill trek," she stated.

"Officials suggested her to go back, unescorted. Then the ship left, seemingly without conducting a passenger count.

"At a certain moment in that sequence, or not long after, mum died, without company."

Company Position

Through an announcement, the CEO affirmed that the organization was "working closely with authorities to assist their examination".

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

Cruise Industry Procedures

The ship serves up to 120 passengers with forty-six staff, according to corporate data. It was purpose-built to reach distant regions of the nation's shoreline and is equipped with "auxiliary vessels" - compact vessels used to transport individuals on land visits.

Occurrences of this nature are infrequent, and passenger vessels have systems to document which travelers are boarding or leaving, according to industry experts.

"Sneaking ashore or [back] aboard really isn't an possibility," an authority commented.

Shipping companies consider these methods extremely carefully and have "advanced technology in place to stop such occurrences from happening," the specialist further stated.

"This is most likely a surprising - and sad - one-off."