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A 60-day journey circling Australia was terminated days after the tragic passing of an older woman who was abandoned by the ship on a remote island.

Suzanne Rees had been walking on the tropical location with shipmates from the cruise ship, but parted ways from the excursion for a rest. The ship left without her and returned after some time after the crew discovered the passenger was unaccounted for.

A large-scale search operation located her remains the next day.

Officials are investigating the tragedy, alongside police and the state coroner.

Head of the voyage organizer stated that guests and crew on the Coral Adventurer were notified that the remainder of the journey had been terminated due to the "sad loss and prior engine troubles".

Through an announcement, he further stated that passengers would be issued a total repayment, and said the company was working "to organize the return journeys of the passengers via specially arranged planes".

Authorities also issued an updated statement, and said they had "delivered a directive to the Master" prohibiting any new passengers from boarding the vessel.

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

Timeline of Incidents

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

Travelers on board - who typically pay tens of thousands of dollars to take part in the cruise - were taken there for a daily excursion with the choice of trekking or snorkeling.

Relatives Response

The daughter of the deceased woman said that her family was "stunned and grieved that the liner left the location after an scheduled excursion without my parent".

Through her comments, she described her mum as an "vigorous octogenarian" who was a participant of a bushwalking organization.

"Based on limited facts we have been informed, it looks that there was a failure of attention and common sense," she said.

She continued that she desired the inquiry would be able to identify what "the organization should have performed that might have preserved Mum's being".

"We understand from the investigators that it was a exceptionally warm afternoon, and she took sick on the mountain ascent," she revealed.

"Officials suggested her to head down, alone. Then the ship sailed away, apparently without doing a passenger count.

"At a certain moment in that process, or not long after, mum passed away, alone."

Company Position

Through an announcement, the Chief Executive confirmed that the organization was "working closely with investigators to support their examination".

He said that the firm was "deeply sorry that this has happened" and had extended its total backing to the family.

Shipping Sector Procedures

The vessel serves up to 120 passengers with 46 staff, according to company information. It was purpose-built to reach distant areas of the nation's shoreline and is equipped with "small boats" - compact vessels used to transport individuals on land visits.

Occurrences such as this are uncommon, and passenger vessels have protocols to track which travelers are embarking or leaving, according to industry experts.

"Sneaking ashore or [back] aboard simply isn't an possibility," a specialist commented.

Vessel operators regard these processes with great importance and have "clever tech in place to prevent such events from occurring," the authority further stated.

"This seems to be presumably a surprising - and unfortunate - one-off."