🔗 Share this article

A 60-day cruise through the Land Down Under is being halted days after the tragic passing of an older female passenger who was left behind by the cruise liner on a isolated tropical isle.

Suzanne Rees had been trekking on the remote island with shipmates from the cruise ship, but parted ways from the excursion for a rest. The vessel departed without her and returned after some time after the crew discovered the passenger was not present.

A large-scale rescue mission located her body the next day.

Authorities are investigating the tragedy, alongside law enforcement and the state coroner.

Head of the cruise operator said that guests and staff on the vessel were notified that the continuation of the journey had been called off due to the "tragic passing and prior mechanical issues".

Through an announcement, he added that guests would be provided a total repayment, and said the company was working "to arrange the homeward trips of the individuals via specially arranged planes".

Authorities also published an latest announcement, and said they had "issued a order to the Master" preventing any additional guests from entering the vessel.

The representative said that they would inspect the liner in Cairns upon its return.

Sequence of Occurrences

The vessel first departed the coastal city on 24 October, and was just two days into the journey at the point of the elderly woman's death. The remote island was the opening port on the journey.

Guests on the vessel - who generally pay large sums of money to join the cruise - were transported there for a day trip with the possibility of walking or snorkeling.

Relatives Response

The offspring of the deceased woman said that her family was "surprised and grieved that the ship left the location after an organised outing without my parent".

In her statement, she described her parent as an "active octogenarian" who was a affiliate of a hiking club.

"Based on limited details we have been informed, it seems that there was a lapse of care and basic judgment," she stated.

She further stated that she hoped the investigation would be able to identify what "the operator should have undertaken that might have preserved Mum's being".

"According to reports from the police that it was a very hot afternoon, and she fell ill on the uphill trek," she revealed.

"They requested her to go back, alone. Then the vessel sailed away, apparently without performing a roll call.

"At a certain moment in that process, or shortly after, mother passed away, without company."

Company Reaction

In a statement, the Chief Executive affirmed that the operator was "collaborating extensively with investigators to assist their inquiry".

He stated that the firm was "deeply sorry that this has occurred" and had provided its complete assistance to the loved ones.

Cruise Industry Practices

The ship caters for up to a hundred twenty travelers with forty-six personnel, according to company information. It was specifically designed to access remote areas of the nation's shoreline and is outfitted with "auxiliary vessels" - small boats used to ferry travelers on day excursions.

Occurrences of this nature are infrequent, and passenger vessels have procedures to document which individuals are boarding or leaving, according to industry experts.

"Leaving covertly or [back] on the ship just isn't an option," an authority remarked.

Vessel operators regard these processes very seriously and have "clever tech in place to prevent such incidents from happening," the expert continued.

"This seems to be presumably a stunning - and unfortunate - isolated incident."