🔗 Share this article

One two-month journey through Australia has been cancelled days after the fatal incident of an senior female passenger who was stranded by the cruise liner on a remote coastal location.

The elderly woman had been walking on Lizard Island with shipmates from the Coral Adventurer, but parted ways from the group for a break. The ship departed without her and came back several hours later after the personnel discovered the passenger was not present.

An extensive rescue mission found her remains the subsequent day.

Investigative bodies are examining the incident, alongside police and the state coroner.

Chief Executive of the cruise operator said that travelers and crew on the ship were informed that the rest of the journey had been cancelled due to the "tragic passing and previous engine troubles".

In a statement, he further stated that passengers would be issued a full refund, and said the organization was working "to coordinate the homeward trips of the travelers via specially arranged planes".

Regulatory bodies also published an updated statement, and said they had "issued a notice to the Commander" prohibiting any further travelers from getting on the ship.

The spokesperson said that they would inspect the vessel in Cairns upon its coming back.

Timeline of Incidents

The ship initially left Cairns on the 24th of October, and was merely two days into the expedition at the moment of the 80-year-old's demise. The remote island was the first stop on the itinerary.

Travelers on the vessel - who usually pay tens of thousands of currency to take part in the expedition - were ferried there for a day trip with the option of walking or snorkelling.

Next of Kin Statement

The offspring of the victim said that her loved ones was "stunned and grieved that the ship left the island after an scheduled outing without my parent".

In her statement, she portrayed her mother as an "vigorous 80-year-old" who was a affiliate of a bushwalking group.

"According to scant facts we have been provided, it seems that there was a breakdown of responsibility and basic judgment," she stated.

She added that she wished the inquiry would be able to pinpoint what "the company should have undertaken that might have preserved Mother's life".

"According to reports from the police that it was a very hot day, and mum became unwell on the mountain ascent," she revealed.

"Officials suggested her to go back, without accompaniment. Then the vessel departed, seemingly without performing a roll call.

"At some stage in that sequence, or soon after, mum succumbed, alone."

Operator Position

Through an announcement, the CEO affirmed that the company was "cooperating fully with investigators to assist their inquiry".

He said that the company was "very regretful that this has happened" and had provided its complete assistance to the family.

Cruise Industry Practices

The vessel caters for up to 120 guests with nearly fifty staff, according to company details. It was purpose-built to access isolated locations of Australia's coast and is equipped with "auxiliary vessels" - minor craft used to take travelers on shore trips.

Occurrences like this are uncommon, and cruise ships have systems to record which travelers are boarding or getting off, according to travel authorities.

"Going ashore secretly or [back] on the ship simply isn't an option," an authority commented.

Vessel operators consider these methods with great importance and have "sophisticated systems in place to avoid such events from occurring," the expert further stated.

"This seems to be presumably a stunning - and tragic - one-off."