🔗 Share this article Cruise Halted After Death of Female Passenger Left Behind on Tropical Isle Lizard Island lies roughly 155 miles from the Australian Port One 60-day cruise through Australia has been cancelled in the wake of the death of an senior woman who was stranded by the vessel on a isolated coastal location. Suzanne Rees had been hiking on the tropical location with fellow passengers from the vessel, but broke off from the excursion for a rest. The liner left without her and came back later that day after the personnel realised the woman was unaccounted for. An extensive rescue mission found her remains the next day. Investigative bodies are examining the incident, in coordination with police and the state coroner. The CEO of the voyage organizer said that guests and personnel on the ship were notified that the remainder of the voyage had been cancelled due to the "sad loss and previous engine troubles". Via official communication, he added that travelers would be issued a full refund, and said the operator was working "to coordinate the return journeys of the individuals via chartered flights". Authorities also released an latest communication, and said they had "provided a directive to the Captain" prohibiting any additional guests from entering the ship. The spokesperson said that they would visit the vessel in Cairns upon its coming back. Sequence of Events The vessel initially left the Australian port on October 24th, and was merely two days into the expedition at the moment of the elderly woman's passing. The remote island was the first stop on the voyage. Passengers on board - who typically pay substantial amounts of currency to participate in the voyage - were taken there for a shore visit with the option of hiking or underwater exploration. Family Reaction The offspring of the victim said that her family was "stunned and saddened that the ship left the island after an scheduled outing without my parent". Via her announcement, she portrayed her mum as an "energetic elderly person" who was a affiliate of a hiking club. "Based on limited facts we have been informed, it seems that there was a breakdown of care and common sense," she mentioned. She added that she hoped the inquiry would be able to identify what "the company should have performed that might have saved Mother's life". "According to reports from the authorities that it was a exceptionally warm afternoon, and she became unwell on the mountain ascent," she explained. "She was asked her to head down, unescorted. Then the ship departed, apparently without performing a roll call. "At some stage in that chain of events, or shortly after, mum passed away, by herself." Operator Position Via official communication, the Chief Executive verified that the company was "cooperating fully with investigators to assist their inquiry". He mentioned that the company was "very regretful that this has transpired" and had provided its complete assistance to the family. Maritime Business Practices The ship caters for up to one hundred twenty passengers with forty-six staff, according to official information. It was specifically designed to access remote locations of the Australian coastline and is equipped with "tenders" - compact vessels used to ferry travelers on shore trips. Events of this nature are infrequent, and passenger vessels have systems to document which travelers are embarking or leaving, according to industry experts. "Sneaking ashore or [back] onboard simply isn't an possibility," a specialist remarked. Cruise lines take these processes very seriously and have "advanced technology in place to prevent such events from taking place," the expert further stated. "This is presumably a stunning - and unfortunate - single occurrence."