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A extended journey around the Land Down Under has been cancelled in the wake of the tragic passing of an elderly female passenger who was left behind by the cruise liner on a remote island.

The elderly woman had been hiking on the tropical location with shipmates from the vessel, but parted ways from the group for a break. The liner departed without her and went back after some time after the ship staff discovered the woman was not present.

A large-scale rescue mission found her body the next day.

Authorities are looking into the event, in coordination with law enforcement and the state coroner.

Chief Executive of the cruise operator stated that travelers and personnel on the vessel were notified that the continuation of the voyage had been called off due to the "unfortunate death and previous technical problems".

Via official communication, he mentioned that travelers would be issued a complete reimbursement, and said the operator was working "to coordinate the travel back of the individuals via specially arranged planes".

Authorities also published an revised statement, and said they had "provided a order to the Commander" banning any new passengers from getting on the vessel.

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

Timeline of Occurrences

The liner originally sailed from the Australian port on 24 October, and was just two days into the expedition at the point of the elderly woman's demise. The remote island was the first stop on the journey.

Passengers on the ship - who generally pay substantial amounts of currency to participate in the expedition - were ferried there for a shore visit with the option of walking or snorkeling.

Next of Kin Statement

The offspring of the elderly passenger said that her loved ones was "shocked and grieved that the liner left the island after an planned outing without my mum".

In her statement, she portrayed her mum as an "energetic elderly person" who was a affiliate of a bushwalking organization.

"According to scant information we have been provided, it appears that there was a breakdown of attention and common sense," she mentioned.

She further stated that she desired the examination would be able to pinpoint what "the operator should have done that might have preserved Mum's being".

"We understand from the investigators that it was a very hot period, and mother fell ill on the uphill trek," she stated.

"Officials suggested her to head down, unescorted. Then the vessel sailed away, apparently without conducting a passenger count.

"During some point in that sequence, or soon after, mum died, without company."

Organization Position

In a statement, the Head verified that the company was "cooperating fully with officials to assist their examination".

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

Cruise Industry Procedures

The liner accommodates up to one hundred twenty travelers with forty-six staff, according to official details. It was specifically designed to access remote locations of the nation's shoreline and is fitted with "tenders" - minor craft used to take passengers on land visits.

Occurrences of this nature are uncommon, and cruise ships have procedures to record which travelers are embarking or leaving, according to travel authorities.

"Leaving covertly or [back] aboard really isn't an possibility," a specialist remarked.

Vessel operators regard these methods extremely carefully and have "clever tech in place to prevent such events from happening," the authority further stated.

"This appears to be most likely a stunning - and unfortunate - single occurrence."