Arabic version: مينز يسعى للقاء العائلة بعد خطأ بشأن ليلي هوبر

According to ABC News, NSW Premier Chris Minns plans to apologise in person to the family of Lily Hooper after telling a parliamentary hearing that the 18-year-old hiker had been found alive before her death was confirmed. Ms Hooper’s body was recovered from dense bushland in the NSW Southern Highlands on Thursday night, more than a week after she went missing.

Mr Minns had told budget estimates that Ms Hooper was found “alive” with “half a bottle of water”, before later informing the hearing that a body had been found. He said he was “absolutely devastated and profoundly sorry” that his comments may have added to the family’s grief. The premier said he contacted the family through police and intended to apologise personally in the coming days.

Emergency services are examining whether a miscommunication involving a police search code led to Ms Hooper being incorrectly identified as alive. NSW SES Commissioner Mike Wassing said police, as the lead agency, had assigned Ms Hooper a code, and that codes during searches were commonly associated with details such as bottles of water. He said inquiries were continuing and agencies were seeking to identify how the error occurred and prevent a repeat.

Ms Hooper left her south-western Sydney home on the morning of August 12 to hike in Nattai National Park, 90 kilometres south-west of Sydney. Her family alerted police after she did not return that evening. Almost 1,000 people joined the search, including nearly 100 Australian Defence Force personnel and 280 NSW SES volunteers. Police said a post-mortem examination would take place. Wollondilly Shire Mayor Matt Gould said a community gathering would be held at Willis Park in Oakdale from 5pm AEST, with Red Cross volunteers available for support.