New South Wales Premier Chris Minns issued an apology after mistakenly announcing that missing hiker Lily Hooper had been found alive, only to correct the statement minutes later to say she was deceased. The incident occurred during a budget estimates hearing on Thursday.
Ms. Hooper, 18, was reported missing on August 12 after failing to return from a hike along the Bonnum Pic Trail in Nattai National Park. Her body was located on Thursday morning, but an air extrication was complicated by the rugged terrain. Searchers initially sent a radio message indicating the missing person had been found, using a "water bottle analogy" codeword to convey the situation without immediately alarming family members. The interpretation of this message led to confusion.
Search coordinators received a message at 11:27 a.m. indicating the missing person was found, and requested confirmation using the "water bottle" codeword. A volunteer responded with "water bottle broken," which was understood by base operators to mean the missing person was found injured. However, by 11:45 a.m., SES volunteers confirmed Ms. Hooper was deceased.
This miscommunication led Premier Minns to initially inform a hearing that Ms. Hooper had been found alive with "half a bottle of water." He later corrected himself, stating she had been found deceased, and offered an apology for any additional heartbreak his earlier incorrect statement may have caused her family.
Police Assistant Commissioner Joseph Cassar, Southern Region Commander, explained that officers sought to keep the family updated with developments as they occurred rather than waiting for complete confirmation. He acknowledged that communication challenges or inaccurate initial reports could lead to misleading information.
Ms. Hooper's body was eventually extracted by helicopter on Thursday evening. The multi-day, multi-agency search effort included hundreds of SES volunteers, police, Australian Defence Force personnel, and others. The 16-kilometer Bonnum Pic trail is described as strenuous, with warnings to hikers to proceed cautiously due to challenging terrain and unreliable mobile phone signals.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Federal Opposition Leader Angus Taylor, who is the local Member of Parliament, also offered condolences, calling Ms. Hooper's death an "unspeakable tragedy" and a "terrible loss."