Authorities in New South Wales, Australia, have apologized after incorrectly reporting that an 18-year-old hiker, Lily Hooper, had been found alive. Her body was airlifted from Nattai National Park, located southwest of Sydney, following an eight-day search. A post-mortem examination will be conducted to formally confirm her identity and cause of death.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns informed a state parliamentary hearing on Thursday that search crews had found Hooper alive and in possession of "half a bottle of water" eight days after she was reported missing. However, he corrected his statement within 30 minutes, announcing that "Lily's body has been found" and she was deceased. The miscommunication led to media outlets reporting she was alive before retracting the information, causing a brief period of false hope for her parents.
Minns stated on Friday that he intended to speak directly with Hooper's family to offer a personal apology, expressing profound regret on behalf of the government. NSW State Emergency Services commissioner Mike Wassing explained that codes are sometimes used during major searches to avoid broadcasting sensitive details over radio, especially when friends, relatives, and volunteers are involved alongside emergency personnel and police. Wassing told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that such codes can be associated with aspects like "bottles of water," but he did not confirm the specific cause of the error, which is under investigation. Another official, Lanyon, acknowledged that communications can be challenging in large searches conducted in remote locations and apologized for the tragic miscommunication. Police are reviewing policies and procedures to ensure protocols are "foolproof" moving forward.