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One extended journey circling Australia has been cancelled in the wake of the death of an elderly woman who was stranded by the ship on a remote coastal location.

Suzanne Rees had been hiking on the tropical location with fellow passengers from the Coral Adventurer, but parted ways from the group for a rest. The liner departed without her and came back several hours later after the personnel became aware the woman was missing.

A large-scale rescue mission found her remains the next day.

Officials are investigating the event, together with investigators and the medical examiner.

Chief Executive of the cruise operator announced that guests and personnel on the Coral Adventurer were informed that the continuation of the cruise had been called off due to the "unfortunate death and earlier engine troubles".

Through an announcement, he added that travelers would be provided a total repayment, and said the organization was working "to organize the return journeys of the passengers via private aircraft".

Regulatory bodies also issued an revised statement, and said they had "issued a directive to the Master" prohibiting any additional guests from boarding the ship.

The official said that they would visit the ship in the port city upon its coming back.

Timeline of Incidents

The liner first departed Cairns on the 24th of October, and was just two days into the expedition at the point of the 80-year-old's passing. The remote island was the initial destination on the itinerary.

Travelers on the ship - who typically pay tens of thousands of dollars to take part in the voyage - were transported there for a daily excursion with the choice of trekking or snorkeling.

Family Response

The daughter of the elderly passenger said that her relatives was "surprised and grieved that the ship left Lizard Island after an planned outing without my mother".

In her statement, she portrayed her parent as an "energetic octogenarian" who was a participant of a bushwalking group.

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

She continued that she hoped the investigation would be able to determine what "the operator should have done that might have preserved Mum's life".

"We understand from the investigators that it was a extremely warm day, and mother took sick on the mountain ascent," she explained.

"They requested her to head down, unescorted. Then the ship sailed away, reportedly without conducting a roll call.

"At a certain moment in that sequence, or not long after, mum succumbed, without company."

Company Response

Through an announcement, the CEO affirmed that the operator was "working closely with authorities to aid their examination".

He stated that the company was "deeply sorry that this has occurred" and had offered its total backing to the loved ones.

Maritime Business Practices

The vessel serves up to 120 guests with nearly fifty crew, according to company information. It was specifically designed to reach isolated regions of the Australian coastline and is fitted with "auxiliary vessels" - small boats used to ferry passengers on shore trips.

Events such as this are infrequent, and cruise ships have procedures to record which passengers are boarding or disembarking, according to maritime specialists.

"Going ashore secretly or [back] onboard simply isn't an option," an authority stated.

Cruise lines consider these methods extremely carefully and have "advanced technology in place to prevent such events from happening," the authority further stated.

"This seems to be presumably a shocking - and tragic - single occurrence."