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A 60-day voyage through Australia has been cancelled days after the fatal incident of an older female passenger who was left behind by the ship on a remote island.

The passenger had been walking on the remote island with shipmates from the Coral Adventurer, but separated from the group for a pause. The liner departed without her and came back after some time after the personnel discovered the woman was not present.

An extensive rescue mission found her body the next day.

Officials are investigating the tragedy, alongside police and the medical examiner.

The CEO of the shipping company stated that travelers and staff on the vessel were told that the continuation of the cruise had been called off due to the "tragic passing and prior engine troubles".

In a statement, he added that travelers would be issued a full refund, and said the organization was working "to coordinate the homeward trips of the travelers via private aircraft".

Regulatory bodies also published an revised announcement, and said they had "delivered a order to the Commander" preventing any new passengers from entering the liner.

The spokesperson said that they would attend the vessel in Cairns upon its return.

Sequence of Events

The vessel first departed the Australian port on 24 October, and was only 48 hours into the expedition at the point of the elderly woman's passing. The remote island was the initial destination on the itinerary.

Guests on board - who typically pay tens of thousands of currency to take part in the voyage - were taken there for a shore visit with the possibility of hiking or snorkelling.

Next of Kin Response

The daughter of the elderly passenger said that her loved ones was "stunned and saddened that the vessel left Lizard Island after an organised outing without my mum".

Through her comments, she described her parent as an "active elderly person" who was a affiliate of a bushwalking club.

"Based on limited details we have been provided, it looks that there was a failure of care and basic judgment," she stated.

She added that she hoped the examination would be able to identify what "the company should have performed that might have protected Mum's life".

"According to reports from the investigators that it was a exceptionally warm period, and she fell ill on the hill climb," she revealed.

"She was asked her to go back, without accompaniment. Then the boat departed, apparently without doing a roll call.

"During some point in that process, or soon after, she passed away, by herself."

Operator Position

In a statement, the Head affirmed that the organization was "collaborating extensively with investigators to support their inquiry".

He mentioned that the organization was "deeply sorry that this has transpired" and had offered its total backing to the loved ones.

Cruise Industry Practices

The ship caters for up to 120 guests with nearly fifty staff, according to official data. It was purpose-built to reach isolated locations of Australia's coastline and is fitted with "small boats" - minor craft used to ferry passengers on shore trips.

Occurrences of this nature are rare, and cruise ships have procedures to track which travelers are getting on or leaving, according to industry experts.

"Leaving covertly or [back] aboard just isn't an possibility," one expert commented.

Vessel operators consider these processes very seriously and have "clever tech in place to avoid such occurrences from taking place," the authority added.

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