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An extensive 60-day cruise through Australia is being halted in the wake of the tragic passing of an elderly female passenger who was left behind by the vessel on a isolated island.

Suzanne Rees had been walking on the remote island with fellow passengers from the vessel, but separated from the group for a pause. The ship departed without her and went back after some time after the personnel realised the passenger was missing.

A large-scale search operation found her body the following day.

Officials are examining the event, alongside investigators and the official investigator.

Chief Executive of the shipping company said that guests and personnel on the Coral Adventurer were informed that the rest of the voyage had been called off due to the "unfortunate death and previous technical problems".

In a statement, he added that passengers would be issued a complete reimbursement, and said the company was working "to coordinate the travel back of the individuals via specially arranged planes".

Authorities also published an latest statement, and said they had "provided a notice to the Master" prohibiting any additional guests from entering the liner.

The official said that they would inspect the vessel in the Australian city upon its arrival.

Timeline of Events

The vessel originally sailed from the coastal city on the 24th of October, and was just two days into the voyage at the time of the 80-year-old's death. The remote island was the first stop on the itinerary.

Passengers on the vessel - who typically pay large sums of dollars to participate in the expedition - were taken there for a daily excursion with the possibility of walking or snorkeling.

Relatives Response

The child of the elderly passenger said that her relatives was "shocked and grieved that the vessel left the location after an organised outing without my mum".

In her statement, she described her mother as an "vigorous 80-year-old" who was a participant of a hiking organization.

"According to scant details we have been informed, it appears that there was a lapse of attention and basic judgment," she stated.

She further stated that she hoped the inquiry would be able to identify what "the company should have done that might have preserved Mother's existence".

"Based on information from the police that it was a extremely warm period, and mum became unwell on the mountain ascent," she stated.

"They requested her to return, unescorted. Then the boat left, seemingly without conducting a headcount.

"During some point in that process, or soon after, mother died, alone."

Company Response

Via official communication, the CEO affirmed that the operator was "cooperating fully with authorities to assist their investigation".

He stated that the organization was "very regretful that this has transpired" and had extended its total backing to the family.

Cruise Industry Standards

The ship accommodates up to 120 travelers with 46 staff, according to corporate data. It was specially constructed to access distant locations of Australia's coast and is fitted with "tenders" - minor craft used to transport travelers on day excursions.

Incidents of this nature are infrequent, and cruise ships have procedures to track which travelers are getting on or getting off, according to industry experts.

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

Vessel operators take these processes with great importance and have "advanced technology in place to stop such occurrences from taking place," the specialist continued.

"This seems to be probably a surprising - and tragic - isolated incident."