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A two-month cruise circling the Australian Coast is being halted in the wake of the death of an elderly woman who was left behind by the cruise liner on a isolated tropical isle.

The passenger had been trekking on Lizard Island with other travelers from the cruise ship, but broke off from the group for a pause. The ship departed without her and went back several hours later after the crew realised the woman was not present.

An extensive search operation found her person the subsequent day.

Officials are examining the incident, together with law enforcement and the state coroner.

Chief Executive of the voyage organizer announced that guests and crew on the ship were told that the continuation of the voyage had been called off due to the "tragic passing and previous engine troubles".

Via official communication, he added that travelers would be issued a full refund, and said the organization was working "to organize the travel back of the travelers via private aircraft".

Officials also released an latest communication, and said they had "issued a directive to the Captain" prohibiting any further travelers from entering the liner.

The representative said that they would visit the ship in the Australian city upon its coming back.

Chronology of Incidents

The liner initially left the Australian port on the 24th of October, and was just two days into the journey at the time of the elderly woman's demise. The tropical location was the first stop on the journey.

Passengers on board - who usually pay substantial amounts of dollars to participate in the expedition - were ferried there for a daily excursion with the option of hiking or underwater exploration.

Family Statement

The offspring of the deceased woman said that her family was "shocked and saddened that the vessel left the location after an organised excursion without my parent".

Via her announcement, she characterized her mother as an "energetic 80-year-old" who was a affiliate of a hiking group.

"Based on limited details we have been told, it looks that there was a breakdown of responsibility and common sense," she mentioned.

She added that she wished the examination would be able to determine what "the company should have performed that might have saved Mother's life".

"According to reports from the authorities that it was a extremely warm day, and she became unwell on the mountain ascent," she stated.

"She was asked her to go back, without accompaniment. Then the ship departed, apparently without performing a headcount.

"At some stage in that sequence, or shortly after, mum passed away, alone."

Operator Position

In a statement, the Head verified that the organization was "working closely with officials to aid their examination".

He said that the firm was "very regretful that this has occurred" and had offered its full support to the relatives.

Maritime Business Practices

The vessel serves up to one hundred twenty guests with nearly fifty staff, according to company information. It was purpose-built to reach remote locations of the nation's coast and is fitted with "auxiliary vessels" - minor craft used to transport travelers on shore trips.

Occurrences such as this are uncommon, and passenger vessels have systems to track which individuals are embarking or getting off, according to maritime specialists.

"Leaving covertly or [back] aboard simply isn't an option," an authority commented.

Cruise lines take these processes extremely carefully and have "advanced technology in place to avoid such events from happening," the authority further stated.

"This is probably a surprising - and unfortunate - isolated incident."