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A two-month cruise around Australia is being halted in the wake of the fatal incident of an older female passenger who was left behind by the cruise liner on a remote coastal location.

The passenger had been trekking on the remote island with other travelers from the vessel, but broke off from the excursion for a rest. The liner left without her and came back after some time after the personnel discovered the passenger was not present.

A large-scale rescue mission discovered her remains the subsequent day.

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

Chief Executive of the voyage organizer said that guests and staff on the ship were notified that the remainder of the journey had been cancelled due to the "unfortunate death and prior mechanical issues".

In a statement, he mentioned that guests would be provided a complete reimbursement, and said the company was working "to organize the return journeys of the travelers via private aircraft".

Regulatory bodies also released an revised communication, and said they had "issued a directive to the Captain" preventing any further travelers from entering the liner.

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

Timeline of Occurrences

The ship originally sailed from the Australian port on 24 October, and was merely two days into the voyage at the moment of the 80-year-old's demise. Lizard Island was the first stop on the itinerary.

Passengers on board - who typically pay substantial amounts of money to take part in the voyage - were transported there for a day trip with the possibility of trekking or snorkeling.

Relatives Statement

The offspring of the elderly passenger said that her family was "surprised and distressed that the liner left the location after an planned tour without my mother".

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

"From the little information we have been informed, it looks that there was a failure of attention and basic judgment," she stated.

She continued that she desired the investigation would be able to identify what "the organization should have performed that might have protected Mum's life".

"Based on information from the investigators that it was a extremely warm afternoon, and mum became unwell on the hill climb," she stated.

"She was asked her to go back, without accompaniment. Then the ship sailed away, apparently without doing a headcount.

"At some stage in that process, or soon after, mum passed away, without company."

Organization Position

Via official communication, the CEO affirmed that the company was "cooperating fully with investigators to support their investigation".

He mentioned that the firm was "very regretful that this has transpired" and had offered its total backing to the relatives.

Shipping Sector Procedures

The liner caters for up to 120 guests with 46 personnel, according to official information. It was purpose-built to access distant regions of the Australian shoreline and is fitted with "small boats" - compact vessels used to take travelers on shore trips.

Events such as this are rare, and passenger vessels have systems to track which travelers are embarking or getting off, according to travel authorities.

"Going ashore secretly or [back] onboard just isn't an possibility," one expert commented.

Vessel operators consider these methods extremely carefully and have "sophisticated systems in place to stop such events from happening," the authority further stated.

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