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An extensive two-month voyage circling Australia is being halted days after the death of an older female passenger who was left behind by the cruise liner on a remote tropical isle.

The elderly woman had been hiking on the remote island with shipmates from the vessel, but parted ways from the group for a break. The vessel departed without her and returned after some time after the crew discovered the woman was missing.

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

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

The CEO of the shipping company said that travelers and staff on the vessel were informed that the rest of the journey had been called off due to the "tragic passing and earlier technical problems".

Via official communication, he further stated that guests would be given a complete reimbursement, and said the organization was working "to organize the return journeys of the individuals via chartered flights".

Officials also published an updated announcement, and said they had "provided a notice to the Captain" banning any further travelers from boarding the ship.

The spokesperson said that they would inspect the vessel in Cairns upon its coming back.

Sequence of Occurrences

The vessel originally sailed from Cairns on October 24th, and was just two days into the voyage at the time of the senior passenger's death. Lizard Island was the first stop on the voyage.

Guests on the vessel - who generally pay tens of thousands of dollars to take part in the voyage - were taken there for a day trip with the choice of trekking or snorkelling.

Relatives Response

The child of the victim said that her family was "stunned and grieved that the ship left Lizard Island after an organised tour without my mother".

Through her comments, she described her mother as an "energetic elderly person" who was a affiliate of a bushwalking organization.

"From the little details we have been informed, it looks that there was a lapse of care and basic judgment," she said.

She further stated that she hoped the investigation would be able to determine what "the organization should have undertaken that might have protected Mum's existence".

"Based on information from the authorities that it was a extremely warm afternoon, and she fell ill on the hill climb," she revealed.

"They requested her to go back, alone. Then the ship left, apparently without performing a headcount.

"At some stage in that process, or soon after, mother passed away, alone."

Organization Response

Through an announcement, the Head affirmed that the organization was "collaborating extensively with authorities to assist their investigation".

He said that the organization was "very regretful that this has transpired" and had provided its complete assistance to the relatives.

Shipping Sector Practices

The vessel caters for up to 120 passengers with 46 staff, according to corporate details. It was specifically designed to access isolated locations of the nation's coast and is fitted with "auxiliary vessels" - small boats used to take individuals on day excursions.

Occurrences like this are uncommon, and cruise ships have systems to record which travelers are embarking or getting off, according to maritime specialists.

"Leaving covertly or [back] onboard just isn't an option," a specialist stated.

Shipping companies consider these procedures extremely carefully and have "clever tech in place to prevent such events from taking place," the authority added.

"This is presumably a shocking - and sad - one-off."