🔗 Share this article Cruise Cancelled Following Fatal Incident of Female Passenger Left Behind on Island Lizard Island is about 150+ kilometers from Cairns A two-month cruise circling the Land Down Under has been cancelled days after the death of an senior lady who was stranded by the cruise liner on a distant coastal location. Suzanne Rees had been walking on Lizard Island with shipmates from the vessel, but broke off from the excursion for a pause. The ship sailed away leaving her and came back several hours later after the ship staff became aware the lady was not present. An extensive rescue mission discovered her person the next day. Officials are looking into the event, in coordination with police and the medical examiner. Chief Executive of the cruise operator stated that travelers and crew on the ship were notified that the rest of the journey had been terminated due to the "tragic passing and previous mechanical issues". Through an announcement, he further stated that travelers would be issued a full refund, and said the operator was working "to organize the travel back of the individuals via private aircraft". Authorities also released an updated announcement, and said they had "delivered a notice to the Captain" banning any additional guests from boarding the vessel. The official said that they would inspect the vessel in the Australian city upon its arrival. Sequence of Events The liner initially left the Australian port on 24 October, and was only 48 hours into the journey at the moment of the senior passenger's death. The remote island was the initial destination on the journey. Travelers on the vessel - who generally pay tens of thousands of dollars to take part in the expedition - were taken there for a shore visit with the option of walking or snorkeling. Family Reaction The child of the deceased woman said that her loved ones was "surprised and distressed that the ship left the island after an planned tour without my mother". Through her comments, she portrayed her mother as an "active 80-year-old" who was a affiliate of a hiking organization. "From the little facts we have been provided, it looks that there was a failure of responsibility and basic judgment," she stated. She continued that she wished the examination would be able to pinpoint what "the operator should have done that might have saved Mother's existence". "According to reports from the investigators that it was a very hot afternoon, and she took sick on the uphill trek," she revealed. "They requested her to return, alone. Then the ship departed, apparently without performing a passenger count. "At some stage in that chain of events, or soon after, mother succumbed, by herself." Organization Reaction Via official communication, the Head verified that the organization was "collaborating extensively with officials to aid their inquiry". He stated that the company was "extremely apologetic that this has happened" and had provided its complete assistance to the relatives. Maritime Business Standards The liner serves up to 120 passengers with forty-six crew, according to corporate data. It was purpose-built to enter distant areas of Australia's coastline and is equipped with "small boats" - small boats used to take travelers on day excursions. Incidents such as this are infrequent, and cruise ships have protocols to record which individuals are embarking or disembarking, according to industry experts. "Going ashore secretly or [back] on the ship just isn't an choice," an authority remarked. Shipping companies take these processes very seriously and have "clever tech in place to stop such incidents from happening," the specialist continued. "This appears to be presumably a stunning - and unfortunate - isolated incident."