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One 60-day cruise through the Land Down Under has been cancelled days after the tragic passing of an older female passenger who was stranded by the vessel on a isolated island.

Suzanne Rees had been hiking on the tropical location with shipmates from the vessel, but broke off from the excursion for a break. The vessel sailed away leaving her and went back later that day after the ship staff realised the lady was missing.

A major hunt found her remains the following day.

Investigative bodies are looking into the tragedy, alongside law enforcement and the medical examiner.

The CEO of the shipping company announced that travelers and staff on the ship were told that the rest of the cruise had been cancelled due to the "sad loss and prior engine troubles".

In a statement, he further stated that guests would be issued a total repayment, and said the company was working "to arrange the return journeys of the travelers via chartered flights".

Authorities also released an latest communication, and said they had "delivered a order to the Commander" banning any further travelers from getting on the vessel.

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

Timeline of Incidents

The vessel first departed the coastal city on October 24th, and was only 48 hours into the expedition at the time of the 80-year-old's death. The tropical location was the initial destination on the journey.

Passengers on the vessel - who generally pay tens of thousands of currency to join the expedition - were taken there for a day trip with the choice of hiking or underwater exploration.

Family Statement

The daughter of the elderly passenger said that her relatives was "shocked and saddened that the vessel left the island after an scheduled excursion without my mum".

Through her comments, she described her mother as an "active 80-year-old" who was a participant of a bushwalking club.

"From the little facts we have been informed, it appears that there was a failure of attention and ordinary reasoning," she mentioned.

She added that she wished the inquiry would be able to pinpoint what "the operator should have done that might have saved Mother's being".

"We understand from the investigators that it was a very hot period, and mum took sick on the uphill trek," she stated.

"Officials suggested her to head down, without accompaniment. Then the boat sailed away, seemingly without doing a roll call.

"At some stage in that process, or shortly after, mother succumbed, alone."

Company Reaction

Via official communication, the CEO confirmed that the operator was "cooperating fully with authorities to assist their inquiry".

He said that the organization was "deeply sorry that this has happened" and had offered its complete assistance to the loved ones.

Shipping Sector Procedures

The ship caters for up to one hundred twenty travelers with nearly fifty staff, according to official information. It was specifically designed to enter distant locations of the nation's coastline and is fitted with "auxiliary vessels" - minor craft used to take passengers on shore trips.

Occurrences like this are infrequent, and passenger vessels have procedures to track which travelers are boarding or disembarking, according to travel authorities.

"Going ashore secretly or [back] on the ship simply isn't an choice," an authority remarked.

Shipping companies regard these processes with great importance and have "advanced technology in place to stop such events from happening," the specialist further stated.

"This appears to be presumably a stunning - and tragic - one-off."