CAIRNS, Australia — A 60-day cruise around Australia has been canceled following the death of an elderly passenger who was left behind on a remote island, the operator and authorities confirmed Saturday.

Eighty-year-old Suzanne Rees died after being left on Lizard Island, off the coast of Queensland, during an organized hiking excursion from the Coral Adventurer cruise ship.

Rees had separated from the group to rest, and the vessel departed without her, returning several hours later after realizing she was missing.

Her body was found the next day during a large-scale search operation.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (Amsa) is investigating the incident alongside Queensland Police and the state coroner.

Mark Fifield, CEO of Coral Expeditions, said passengers and crew were informed Wednesday that the remainder of the voyage had been canceled due to “the tragic passing of Suzanne Rees and previous mechanical issues.”

He said all passengers would receive full refunds and that the company was arranging return travel via chartered flights.

Amsa said it had “issued a notice to the Master of Coral Adventurer” prohibiting new passengers from boarding the vessel and confirmed that officials would attend the ship in Cairns upon its return.

The Coral Adventurer left Cairns on Oct. 24 and was only two days into its voyage when the incident occurred.

Lizard Island was the first stop on the cruise, where passengers were offered hiking and snorkeling excursions.

Rees’ daughter, Katherine Rees, said her family was “shocked and saddened that the Coral Adventurer left Lizard Island after an organized excursion without my mum.”

She described her mother as an “active 80-year-old” and said she believed there had been “a failure of care and common sense.”

According to her statement, it was a very hot day, and her mother “fell ill on the hill climb” before being “asked to head down, unescorted,” after which the ship departed “apparently without doing a passenger count.”

“At some stage in that sequence, or shortly after, mum died, alone,” she said.

Coral Expeditions said it is cooperating with police and other authorities and offered its condolences to the Rees family.

The Coral Adventurer can accommodate up to 120 guests with 46 crew members and is designed to access remote coastal areas using small boats for day excursions.

Cruise industry experts said such incidents are extremely rare, noting that ships typically have strict passenger tracking systems.

“This is most likely a shocking — and tragic — one-off,” Harriet Mallinson, cruise editor at Sailawaze, told the BBC. — Agencies