Australian police recover body of missing teenage hiker near Sydney

SYDNEY, Aug 21 (Reuters) – Australian police recovered the body of an 18-year-old hiker overnight from dense bushland in a remote national park near Sydney, authorities said on Friday, more than a week after she went missing.

The body was airlifted from the site, and a post-mortem examination will be conducted in the coming days to formally confirm the person’s identity and determine the cause of death, a New South Wales Police spokesperson said by email.

Multiple Australian media outlets identified the hiker as Lily Hooper, who left her home in Sydney’s southwest on August 12 to go hiking in Nattai National Park, but did not return that evening. The park is about 100 km (62 miles) southwest of Sydney.

Her body was located on Thursday after an extensive search involving police and emergency crews and several Australian Defence Force personnel, but the rough terrain hampered recovery efforts.

Hooper’s car was found at the start of a challenging 16-km walking track intended for more advanced hikers, the Australian Broadcasting Corp reported.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns apologised on Thursday for initially reporting that Hooper had been found alive. Officials said they were investigating whether a miscommunication over a police code may have led authorities to wrongly identify Hooper as alive.

Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon has “unreservedly” apologised for the error and for causing “any additional trauma” to Hooper’s family.

(Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Kate Mayberry)