An extensive 60-day voyage through Australia is being halted days after the death of an elderly lady who was left behind by the vessel on a remote tropical isle.
Suzanne Rees had been walking on the remote island with fellow passengers from the cruise ship, but broke off from the group for a pause. The ship sailed away leaving her and went back after some time after the crew became aware the woman was missing.
An extensive hunt discovered her person the next day.
Authorities are looking into the tragedy, alongside law enforcement and the official investigator.
Head of the voyage organizer said that travelers and crew on the ship were notified that the rest of the cruise had been called off due to the "unfortunate death and earlier mechanical issues".
Via official communication, he added that travelers would be given a complete reimbursement, and said the operator was working "to arrange the travel back of the travelers via private aircraft".
Authorities also published an updated announcement, and said they had "issued a notice to the Commander" prohibiting any new passengers from entering the liner.
The official said that they would inspect the ship in the Australian city upon its coming back.
The ship originally sailed from the Australian port on 24 October, and was merely two days into the journey at the moment of the elderly woman's death. Lizard Island was the opening port on the journey.
Travelers on board - who typically pay substantial amounts of money to participate in the voyage - were taken there for a shore visit with the option of trekking or snorkeling.
The offspring of the elderly passenger said that her loved ones was "stunned and grieved that the liner left the island after an scheduled excursion without my mum".
Through her comments, she described her mother as an "vigorous 80-year-old" who was a participant of a bushwalking club.
"Based on limited details we have been informed, it looks that there was a breakdown of responsibility and common sense," she stated.
She further stated that she desired the investigation would be able to identify what "the operator should have done that might have preserved Her being".
"According to reports from the authorities that it was a extremely warm day, and she fell ill on the hill climb," she explained.
"She was asked her to head down, alone. Then the boat departed, reportedly without performing a headcount.
"At some stage in that sequence, or shortly after, she died, by herself."
In a statement, the Head verified that the company was "cooperating fully with authorities to support their inquiry".
He stated that the organization was "extremely apologetic that this has transpired" and had extended its complete assistance to the family.
The liner caters for up to one hundred twenty passengers with 46 staff, according to company information. It was specifically designed to reach remote areas of Australia's coast and is equipped with "tenders" - small boats used to transport travelers on shore trips.
Incidents like this are infrequent, and passenger vessels have systems to record which travelers are getting on or getting off, according to travel authorities.
"Leaving covertly or [back] onboard really isn't an possibility," a specialist remarked.
Vessel operators take these processes very seriously and have "clever tech in place to prevent such events from happening," the expert further stated.
"This is probably a shocking - and tragic - isolated incident."
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