🔗 Share this article

A 60-day voyage through the Australian Coast has been cancelled in the wake of the death of an older female passenger who was abandoned by the cruise liner on a distant tropical isle.

The elderly woman had been walking on the tropical location with fellow passengers from the cruise ship, but broke off from the excursion for a break. The liner sailed away leaving her and came back after some time after the personnel discovered the woman was missing.

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

Investigative bodies are examining the tragedy, in coordination with police and the state coroner.

Chief Executive of the shipping company announced that travelers and crew on the ship were told that the rest of the journey had been terminated due to the "unfortunate death and earlier technical problems".

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

Authorities also released an revised communication, and said they had "issued a notice to the Master" preventing any further travelers from entering the ship.

The representative said that they would visit the ship in Cairns upon its arrival.

Chronology of Events

The vessel originally sailed from Cairns on October 24th, and was just two days into the journey at the point of the senior passenger's demise. Lizard Island was the opening port on the journey.

Guests on the vessel - who typically pay large sums of currency to join the cruise - were transported there for a daily excursion with the choice of hiking or snorkeling.

Family Reaction

The daughter of the deceased woman said that her loved ones was "shocked and saddened that the vessel left Lizard Island after an organised outing without my mum".

Through her comments, she described her mother as an "vigorous 80-year-old" who was a member of a hiking group.

"According to scant details we have been provided, it seems that there was a breakdown of care and common sense," she stated.

She continued that she desired the inquiry would be able to identify what "the company should have done that might have saved Her existence".

"According to reports from the investigators that it was a exceptionally warm day, and mother became unwell on the hill climb," she explained.

"They requested her to head down, unescorted. Then the vessel sailed away, seemingly without performing a passenger count.

"At a certain moment in that process, or shortly after, mother succumbed, alone."

Organization Reaction

Through an announcement, the Head affirmed that the organization was "working closely with officials to aid their inquiry".

He said that the firm was "extremely apologetic that this has happened" and had offered its total backing to the relatives.

Shipping Sector Standards

The ship caters for up to one hundred twenty passengers with nearly fifty crew, according to company details. It was purpose-built to access remote areas of Australia's coast and is fitted with "small boats" - compact vessels used to transport passengers on shore trips.

Occurrences such as this are rare, and liners have systems to track which passengers are getting on or getting off, according to travel authorities.

"Sneaking ashore or [back] aboard really isn't an choice," a specialist stated.

Cruise lines regard these methods with great importance and have "advanced technology in place to avoid such incidents from happening," the specialist further stated.

"This is most likely a stunning - and tragic - one-off."