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A two-month journey through the Australian Coast is being halted following the fatal incident of an senior female passenger who was stranded by the cruise liner on a remote island.

The elderly woman had been trekking on Lizard Island with fellow passengers from the vessel, but parted ways from the party for a break. The liner sailed away leaving her and came back after some time after the crew discovered the woman was missing.

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

Officials are looking into the event, alongside investigators and the state coroner.

Head of the shipping company announced that guests and crew on the Coral Adventurer were informed that the continuation of the cruise had been called off due to the "sad loss and earlier engine troubles".

Via official communication, he further stated that passengers would be provided a full refund, and said the company was working "to arrange the homeward trips of the passengers via chartered flights".

Authorities also published an latest announcement, and said they had "delivered a directive to the Master" prohibiting any new passengers from boarding the vessel.

The spokesperson said that they would visit the liner in the port city upon its return.

Sequence of Incidents

The ship initially left Cairns on October 24th, and was just two days into the expedition at the point of the 80-year-old's death. Lizard Island was the opening port on the voyage.

Passengers on the ship - who generally pay tens of thousands of dollars to join the expedition - were transported there for a shore visit with the choice of walking or snorkelling.

Next of Kin Reaction

The offspring of the deceased woman said that her family was "shocked and saddened that the ship left Lizard Island after an organised outing without my mother".

Via her announcement, she portrayed her mother as an "active octogenarian" who was a participant of a walking group.

"Based on limited facts we have been provided, it appears that there was a failure of care and basic judgment," she said.

She continued that she desired the inquiry would be able to determine what "the operator should have done that might have protected Mum's existence".

"Based on information from the police that it was a extremely warm afternoon, and she became unwell on the mountain ascent," she revealed.

"They requested her to return, without accompaniment. Then the ship departed, reportedly without performing a passenger count.

"During some point in that process, or not long after, mum passed away, by herself."

Operator Response

Through an announcement, the Head confirmed that the organization was "cooperating fully with officials to assist their inquiry".

He said that the organization was "deeply sorry that this has transpired" and had extended its full support to the family.

Maritime Business Standards

The vessel accommodates up to a hundred twenty travelers with nearly fifty crew, according to company data. It was purpose-built to reach distant locations of Australia's coast and is equipped with "small boats" - compact vessels used to ferry passengers on day excursions.

Events like this are uncommon, and cruise ships have protocols to track which passengers are boarding or disembarking, according to travel authorities.

"Sneaking ashore or [back] on the ship simply isn't an possibility," one expert stated.

Shipping companies take these methods extremely carefully and have "advanced technology in place to prevent such incidents from occurring," the authority continued.

"This is presumably a shocking - and sad - isolated incident."