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A extended journey around the Australian Coast has been cancelled days after the death of an elderly lady who was stranded by the vessel on a distant coastal location.

The passenger had been walking on the remote island with other travelers from the vessel, but separated from the group for a break. The ship sailed away leaving her and returned after some time after the crew realised the lady was not present.

A large-scale rescue mission located her person the next day.

Investigative bodies are investigating the incident, alongside police and the official investigator.

The CEO of the shipping company announced that travelers and staff on the vessel were informed that the continuation of the journey had been called off due to the "tragic passing and previous engine troubles".

Via official communication, he mentioned that guests would be issued a complete reimbursement, and said the company was working "to coordinate the travel back of the travelers via specially arranged planes".

Authorities also published an revised announcement, and said they had "provided a order to the Captain" banning any further travelers from boarding the vessel.

The official said that they would visit the vessel in Cairns upon its coming back.

Timeline of Events

The liner first departed the Australian port on 24 October, and was merely two days into the journey at the time of the 80-year-old's passing. Lizard Island was the first stop on the itinerary.

Passengers on the vessel - who usually pay large sums of money to participate in the cruise - were taken there for a shore visit with the choice of hiking or snorkelling.

Relatives Reaction

The offspring of the victim said that her loved ones was "shocked and distressed that the vessel left Lizard Island after an organised tour without my parent".

In her statement, she described her parent as an "active elderly person" who was a member of a hiking organization.

"According to scant information we have been informed, it seems that there was a failure of responsibility and common sense," she mentioned.

She added that she wished the inquiry would be able to identify what "the company should have done that might have preserved Mum's being".

"Based on information from the investigators that it was a very hot day, and she fell ill on the hill climb," she stated.

"Officials suggested her to go back, without accompaniment. Then the vessel sailed away, apparently without doing a passenger count.

"At some stage in that sequence, or not long after, she died, by herself."

Organization Response

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

He stated that the firm was "deeply sorry that this has occurred" and had extended its total backing to the family.

Maritime Business Practices

The liner accommodates up to one hundred twenty passengers with nearly fifty staff, according to official details. It was specially constructed to access distant regions of Australia's coast and is equipped with "small boats" - small boats used to ferry travelers on day excursions.

Incidents like this are rare, and passenger vessels have protocols to track which travelers are embarking or leaving, according to maritime specialists.

"Leaving covertly or [back] onboard simply isn't an possibility," a specialist commented.

Cruise lines take these procedures extremely carefully and have "clever tech in place to prevent such occurrences from taking place," the authority continued.

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