🔗 Share this article Ship Halted In the Wake of Death of Female Passenger Stranded on Tropical Isle Lizard Island is about 250km from Cairns An extensive two-month cruise through Australia has been cancelled following the fatal incident of an senior lady who was abandoned by the ship on a remote island. Suzanne Rees had been hiking on the remote island with shipmates from the vessel, but broke off from the excursion for a pause. The vessel departed without her and returned after some time after the personnel realised the passenger was not present. An extensive search operation located her body the subsequent day. Officials are examining the tragedy, in coordination with law enforcement and the state coroner. The CEO of the cruise operator stated that passengers and crew on the vessel were told that the rest of the journey had been called off due to the "tragic passing and earlier mechanical issues". In a statement, he further stated that travelers would be provided a complete reimbursement, and said the operator was working "to arrange the homeward trips of the travelers via specially arranged planes". Officials also published an updated communication, and said they had "delivered a order to the Commander" prohibiting any new passengers from boarding the ship. The official said that they would inspect the vessel in the Australian city upon its return. Sequence of Events The ship originally sailed from the Australian port on the 24th of October, and was only 48 hours into the voyage at the time of the 80-year-old's demise. The tropical location was the first stop on the voyage. Passengers on the ship - who typically pay tens of thousands of currency to participate in the expedition - were taken there for a day trip with the choice of hiking or snorkelling. Relatives Reaction The daughter of the deceased woman said that her loved ones was "shocked and distressed that the liner left Lizard Island after an planned tour without my mum". Via her announcement, she portrayed her mum as an "energetic elderly person" who was a member of a bushwalking group. "Based on limited facts we have been provided, it seems that there was a lapse of responsibility and common sense," she stated. She further stated that she desired the inquiry would be able to pinpoint what "the company should have undertaken that might have saved Mum's existence". "We understand from the investigators that it was a very hot period, and mother fell ill on the mountain ascent," she explained. "They requested her to return, unescorted. Then the ship left, seemingly without doing a roll call. "At some stage in that chain of events, or shortly after, mother died, by herself." Operator Response Through an announcement, the Chief Executive affirmed that the company was "cooperating fully with officials to aid their examination". He said that the organization was "deeply sorry that this has transpired" and had extended its complete assistance to the family. Shipping Sector Practices The vessel caters for up to a hundred twenty passengers with 46 crew, according to corporate data. It was specifically designed to access remote areas of Australia's coastline and is fitted with "small boats" - compact vessels used to take individuals on land visits. Incidents of this nature are infrequent, and liners have protocols to track which passengers are boarding or leaving, according to travel authorities. "Sneaking ashore or [back] on the ship simply isn't an option," an authority commented. Vessel operators consider these methods very seriously and have "clever tech in place to avoid such events from occurring," the authority continued. "This appears to be presumably a stunning - and unfortunate - one-off."