🔗 Share this article

One 60-day cruise around the Australian Coast has been cancelled following the death of an older woman who was abandoned by the cruise liner on a remote island.

The elderly woman had been walking on Lizard Island with fellow passengers from the vessel, but parted ways from the excursion for a rest. The vessel departed without her and came back after some time after the ship staff realised the passenger was not present.

A major hunt discovered her person the next day.

Authorities are examining the incident, alongside investigators and the official investigator.

The CEO of the voyage organizer stated that travelers and staff on the Coral Adventurer were told that the rest of the cruise had been terminated due to the "tragic passing and previous mechanical issues".

Via official communication, he added that travelers would be given a full refund, and said the organization was working "to arrange the homeward trips of the individuals via chartered flights".

Officials also published an updated statement, and said they had "issued a directive to the Captain" prohibiting any additional guests from boarding the liner.

The spokesperson said that they would visit the ship in Cairns upon its return.

Timeline of Occurrences

The liner initially left the coastal city on 24 October, and was merely two days into the journey at the time of the senior passenger's demise. Lizard Island was the initial destination on the itinerary.

Travelers on board - who generally pay tens of thousands of dollars to join the voyage - were taken there for a day trip with the choice of walking or snorkelling.

Relatives Reaction

The daughter of the elderly passenger said that her family was "shocked and grieved that the ship left Lizard Island after an planned outing without my mum".

In her statement, she characterized her mum as an "active 80-year-old" who was a affiliate of a hiking group.

"According to scant facts we have been told, it seems that there was a breakdown of care and basic judgment," she said.

She continued that she wished the investigation would be able to identify what "the organization should have done that might have saved Her life".

"We understand from the investigators that it was a extremely warm afternoon, and mum fell ill on the mountain ascent," she stated.

"They requested her to head down, alone. Then the ship sailed away, seemingly without conducting a roll call.

"At some stage in that sequence, or not long after, she died, alone."

Operator Reaction

Via official communication, the Head affirmed that the company was "cooperating fully with authorities to aid their inquiry".

He said that the organization was "extremely apologetic that this has occurred" and had provided its complete assistance to the relatives.

Shipping Sector Practices

The ship caters for up to a hundred twenty guests with nearly fifty staff, according to corporate data. It was specifically designed to enter isolated regions of the Australian coast and is equipped with "small boats" - small boats used to take passengers on shore trips.

Occurrences such as this are uncommon, and passenger vessels have protocols to record which individuals are boarding or leaving, according to travel authorities.

"Sneaking ashore or [back] aboard simply isn't an possibility," one expert stated.

Vessel operators take these processes with great importance and have "clever tech in place to prevent such events from taking place," the authority further stated.

"This is probably a stunning - and unfortunate - isolated incident."