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An extensive 60-day voyage around the Land Down Under has been cancelled in the wake of the tragic passing of an senior female passenger who was left behind by the ship on a distant tropical isle.

The elderly woman had been walking on Lizard Island with fellow passengers from the vessel, but broke off from the excursion for a rest. The liner sailed away leaving her and came back after some time after the crew realised the passenger was missing.

A large-scale search operation found her body the next day.

Authorities are investigating the tragedy, together with law enforcement and the official investigator.

Head of the voyage organizer announced that travelers and personnel on the vessel were informed that the remainder of the voyage had been terminated due to the "tragic passing and previous mechanical issues".

Through an announcement, he further stated that passengers would be issued a full refund, and said the company was working "to organize the homeward trips of the individuals via chartered flights".

Authorities also released an updated announcement, and said they had "provided a order to the Commander" preventing any additional guests from boarding the vessel.

The official said that they would visit the liner in the Australian city upon its arrival.

Timeline of Incidents

The ship originally sailed from Cairns on 24 October, and was only 48 hours into the voyage at the point of the senior passenger's passing. The remote island was the first stop on the journey.

Passengers on the ship - who typically pay tens of thousands of money to join the voyage - were taken there for a daily excursion with the choice of walking or snorkelling.

Family Response

The offspring of the deceased woman said that her family was "stunned and saddened that the ship left the island after an organised excursion without my parent".

In her statement, she characterized her mum as an "vigorous 80-year-old" who was a affiliate of a hiking organization.

"From the little facts we have been informed, it seems that there was a lapse of responsibility and ordinary reasoning," she said.

She added that she hoped the examination would be able to pinpoint what "the organization should have undertaken that might have preserved Mother's life".

"We understand from the investigators that it was a exceptionally warm period, and mother took sick on the hill climb," she stated.

"They requested her to go back, without accompaniment. Then the boat departed, apparently without doing a headcount.

"At a certain moment in that sequence, or shortly after, she passed away, alone."

Operator Response

Via official communication, the CEO affirmed that the company was "collaborating extensively with officials to support their inquiry".

He said that the company was "extremely apologetic that this has happened" and had offered its complete assistance to the relatives.

Shipping Sector Procedures

The ship caters for up to 120 passengers with nearly fifty crew, according to official data. It was specifically designed to reach distant areas of Australia's shoreline and is equipped with "auxiliary vessels" - compact vessels used to take passengers on shore trips.

Events of this nature are infrequent, and liners have procedures to document which individuals are getting on or leaving, according to maritime specialists.

"Sneaking ashore or [back] aboard just isn't an choice," one expert commented.

Shipping companies consider these processes with great importance and have "advanced technology in place to prevent such incidents from happening," the specialist added.

"This appears to be presumably a shocking - and unfortunate - one-off."