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One two-month cruise around Australia was terminated in the wake of the tragic passing of an older woman who was stranded by the ship on a distant island.

The elderly woman had been walking on the remote island with shipmates from the vessel, but broke off from the excursion for a break. The liner sailed away leaving her and came back several hours later after the ship staff discovered the passenger was not present.

A large-scale hunt discovered her body the following day.

Authorities are examining the event, in coordination with law enforcement and the official investigator.

Head of the shipping company announced that travelers and personnel on the vessel were notified that the rest of the voyage had been cancelled due to the "sad loss and prior engine troubles".

Via official communication, he added that passengers would be issued a complete reimbursement, and said the operator was working "to coordinate the homeward trips of the travelers via chartered flights".

Authorities also issued an revised announcement, and said they had "delivered a directive to the Master" prohibiting any further travelers from boarding the vessel.

The official said that they would inspect the ship in Cairns upon its return.

Sequence of Occurrences

The ship first departed the coastal city on 24 October, and was just two days into the journey at the time of the elderly woman's passing. The remote island was the first stop on the voyage.

Travelers on board - who typically pay tens of thousands of currency to participate in the expedition - were ferried there for a day trip with the option of walking or underwater exploration.

Relatives Response

The offspring of the deceased woman said that her loved ones was "shocked and grieved that the ship left the location after an organised excursion without my parent".

Through her comments, she characterized her parent as an "vigorous elderly person" who was a participant of a walking group.

"According to scant facts we have been provided, it seems that there was a lapse of responsibility and basic judgment," she stated.

She added that she wished the examination would be able to determine what "the company should have done that might have preserved Mum's existence".

"We understand from the police that it was a exceptionally warm period, and she fell ill on the uphill trek," she explained.

"She was asked her to head down, alone. Then the boat sailed away, reportedly without conducting a headcount.

"During some point in that process, or not long after, mum died, alone."

Company Response

Via official communication, the CEO verified that the operator was "working closely with investigators to aid their investigation".

He said that the firm was "very regretful that this has happened" and had offered its complete assistance to the loved ones.

Maritime Business Procedures

The liner caters for up to a hundred twenty travelers with 46 personnel, according to company information. It was specially constructed to reach distant areas of the nation's coast and is fitted with "auxiliary vessels" - small boats used to take travelers on day excursions.

Incidents such as this are infrequent, and liners have procedures to document which passengers are boarding or getting off, according to maritime specialists.

"Going ashore secretly or [back] onboard really isn't an option," one expert commented.

Shipping companies consider these procedures very seriously and have "sophisticated systems in place to avoid such incidents from occurring," the expert further stated.

"This is most likely a shocking - and sad - one-off."