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One 60-day journey circling the Australian Coast has been cancelled following the tragic passing of an elderly female passenger who was stranded by the ship on a distant tropical isle.

The passenger had been trekking on Lizard Island with fellow passengers from the cruise ship, but parted ways from the excursion for a rest. The vessel sailed away leaving her and returned after some time after the crew discovered the passenger was not present.

A large-scale search operation discovered her person the next day.

Authorities are looking into the incident, alongside police and the medical examiner.

Chief Executive of the cruise operator stated that travelers and personnel on the Coral Adventurer were informed that the continuation of the voyage had been called off due to the "sad loss and prior engine troubles".

Through an announcement, he mentioned that passengers would be issued a total repayment, and said the company was working "to coordinate the homeward trips of the passengers via specially arranged planes".

Regulatory bodies also published an updated statement, and said they had "provided a order to the Master" preventing any additional guests from getting on the vessel.

The official said that they would inspect the liner in the Australian city upon its return.

Chronology of Events

The vessel first departed the coastal city on the 24th of October, and was merely two days into the journey at the time of the senior passenger's passing. The remote island was the first stop on the itinerary.

Travelers on board - who generally pay tens of thousands of dollars to take part in the voyage - were transported there for a day trip with the choice of hiking or snorkelling.

Next of Kin Reaction

The offspring of the deceased woman said that her loved ones was "shocked and grieved that the ship left the island after an scheduled outing without my mum".

Via her announcement, she characterized her mother as an "energetic elderly person" who was a member of a hiking club.

"From the little facts we have been told, it looks that there was a failure of attention and common sense," she said.

She continued that she hoped the investigation would be able to identify what "the company should have performed that might have preserved Mum's being".

"Based on information from the police that it was a extremely warm period, and mother fell ill on the hill climb," she revealed.

"She was asked her to go back, unescorted. Then the ship departed, apparently without performing a passenger count.

"At some stage in that chain of events, or not long after, mum succumbed, alone."

Organization Reaction

Through an announcement, the Chief Executive confirmed that the operator was "working closely with authorities to assist their inquiry".

He said that the organization was "very regretful that this has occurred" and had provided its total backing to the relatives.

Shipping Sector Standards

The vessel caters for up to 120 travelers with 46 personnel, according to corporate data. It was specially constructed to reach distant locations of the nation's coastline and is fitted with "tenders" - compact vessels used to take travelers on day excursions.

Events of this nature are rare, and cruise ships have protocols to record which individuals are boarding or disembarking, according to travel authorities.

"Leaving covertly or [back] onboard simply isn't an option," an authority remarked.

Cruise lines regard these processes extremely carefully and have "sophisticated systems in place to prevent such occurrences from taking place," the specialist further stated.

"This appears to be probably a stunning - and sad - one-off."