Ship Cancelled In the Wake of Fatal Incident of Woman Left Behind on Island
One 60-day voyage around the Land Down Under has been cancelled following the tragic passing of an older female passenger who was stranded by the cruise liner on a isolated tropical isle.
The passenger had been trekking on the remote island with other travelers from the Coral Adventurer, but separated from the excursion for a rest. The vessel departed without her and returned several hours later after the crew became aware the woman was missing.
An extensive search operation located her remains the following day.
Officials are examining the incident, together with police and the state coroner.
Head of the voyage organizer stated that passengers and crew on the vessel were told that the remainder of the cruise had been terminated due to the "unfortunate death and prior mechanical issues".
In a statement, he further stated that travelers would be given a total repayment, and said the operator was working "to coordinate the travel back of the individuals via specially arranged planes".
Authorities also issued an updated statement, and said they had "delivered a directive to the Master" preventing any new passengers from entering the liner.
The spokesperson said that they would attend the liner in Cairns upon its arrival.
Sequence of Occurrences
The vessel initially left Cairns on the 24th of October, and was merely two days into the voyage at the point of the elderly woman's passing. The tropical location was the opening port on the journey.
Passengers on the vessel - who usually pay tens of thousands of dollars to participate in the voyage - were transported there for a shore visit with the choice of walking or snorkeling.
Relatives Reaction
The daughter of the deceased woman said that her family was "surprised and grieved that the liner left the island after an scheduled outing without my mum".
In her statement, she described her mother as an "energetic octogenarian" who was a member of a hiking club.
"Based on limited information we have been provided, it seems that there was a failure of attention and ordinary reasoning," she stated.
She further stated that she wished the examination would be able to identify what "the operator should have done that might have saved Her existence".
"Based on information from the investigators that it was a extremely warm day, and mum took sick on the mountain ascent," she stated.
"They requested her to head down, alone. Then the boat departed, seemingly without conducting a passenger count.
"During some point in that sequence, or not long after, mum died, by herself."
Organization Reaction
In a statement, the Chief Executive verified that the company was "collaborating extensively with authorities to support their investigation".
He mentioned that the organization was "deeply sorry that this has occurred" and had extended its total backing to the relatives.
Cruise Industry Standards
The liner serves up to 120 passengers with nearly fifty staff, according to company details. It was specifically designed to reach remote areas of the Australian shoreline and is outfitted with "small boats" - small boats used to ferry individuals on land visits.
Occurrences of this nature are rare, and passenger vessels have procedures to track which passengers are boarding or leaving, according to travel authorities.
"Leaving covertly or [back] onboard simply isn't an option," an authority remarked.
Vessel operators take these procedures with great importance and have "advanced technology in place to stop such events from happening," the authority further stated.
"This appears to be probably a shocking - and sad - isolated incident."