Australian hiker's body recovered as officials apologise for misreporting she was alive
The body of Lily Hooper, 18, has been airlifted from a national park in the Southern Highlands following an eight-day search.
Australian hiker Lily Hooper's body has been recovered, following a miscommunication that previously reported she was alive. The incident occurred in New South Wales, Australia. Hooper, 18, a seasoned hiker, was reported missing last week, sparking an eight-day search. Approximately 1,000 people took part in the search, which led to her body being airlifted from Nattai National Park, southwest of Sydney.
State Premier Chris Minns and NSW police commissioner Mal Lanyon apologized to Hooper's family for the error on Friday. Initially, police had confirmed that Hooper had been found alive, but this was later corrected to state that her body had been found, and she was deceased. Media outlets quickly retracted their initial reports of Hooper's survival.
Hooper's family was left to believe she was alive for a brief period, which Minns acknowledged as deeply regrettable. The government, along with Minns, expressed profound sorrow over the incident. NSW State Emergency Services Commissioner Mike Wassing explained that codes are often used during major searches to avoid sharing sensitive details over radio broadcasts.
However, no confirmation was given regarding the cause of the reporting error, which Lanyon acknowledged as a tragic miscommunication. Police have stated that they will review protocols to ensure they are foolproof in future searches.
Written by urgent.news from BBC World's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
