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One extended journey circling the Australian Coast has been cancelled following the tragic passing of an elderly woman who was stranded by the cruise liner on a isolated tropical isle.

The elderly woman had been hiking on Lizard Island with fellow passengers from the Coral Adventurer, but separated from the party for a break. The ship departed without her and returned several hours later after the personnel became aware the passenger was missing.

A major hunt found her remains the next day.

Authorities are looking into the tragedy, together with law enforcement and the medical examiner.

Chief Executive of the shipping company said that travelers and crew on the Coral Adventurer were informed that the rest of the voyage had been terminated due to the "sad loss and prior mechanical issues".

In a statement, he further stated that guests would be issued a total repayment, and said the operator was working "to arrange the return journeys of the passengers via private aircraft".

Officials also released an latest announcement, and said they had "delivered a directive to the Captain" banning any new passengers from entering the ship.

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

Timeline of Incidents

The ship originally sailed from Cairns on October 24th, and was merely two days into the expedition at the moment of the 80-year-old's demise. The remote island was the first stop on the itinerary.

Guests on the vessel - who typically pay large sums of currency to take part in the voyage - were ferried there for a daily excursion with the possibility of trekking or underwater exploration.

Next of Kin Response

The child of the victim said that her family was "surprised and grieved that the ship left the location after an scheduled tour without my mother".

In her statement, she described her mother as an "energetic octogenarian" who was a participant of a hiking club.

"Based on limited details we have been told, it appears that there was a lapse of responsibility and common sense," she stated.

She continued that she wished the investigation would be able to identify what "the company should have performed that might have preserved Mum's being".

"According to reports from the investigators that it was a very hot period, and she became unwell on the uphill trek," she explained.

"She was asked her to return, alone. Then the boat departed, reportedly without conducting a roll call.

"At some stage in that chain of events, or not long after, mum passed away, without company."

Company Reaction

In a statement, the CEO affirmed that the organization was "working closely with officials to assist their inquiry".

He said that the firm was "extremely apologetic that this has happened" and had provided its full support to the relatives.

Shipping Sector Standards

The liner serves up to one hundred twenty guests with nearly fifty personnel, according to official details. It was specially constructed to access isolated areas of Australia's shoreline and is equipped with "auxiliary vessels" - small boats used to take passengers on day excursions.

Occurrences of this nature are rare, and passenger vessels have procedures to record which travelers are getting on or leaving, according to travel authorities.

"Sneaking ashore or [back] aboard really isn't an option," an authority stated.

Vessel operators take these processes extremely carefully and have "advanced technology in place to avoid such incidents from happening," the expert continued.

"This appears to be most likely a shocking - and unfortunate - isolated incident."