TRAGEDY STRIKES: Eight-Week-Old Baby Among Three Aussies Who Died After Failing to Get Through to Triple Zero Amidst Major Optus Outage
- A catastrophic network outage prevented hundreds of emergency calls from getting through to Triple Zero, resulting in three deaths, including an eight-week-old baby
- Optus CEO Stephen Rue has launched an investigation and issued a heartfelt apology to the families of the victims, saying “I am so sorry for your loss”
- The outage affected emergency calls in South Australia, the Northern Territory, and Western Australia, with 600 customers potentially impacted
Three people, including a newborn baby, have tragically lost their lives after a major outage affected emergency calls to Triple Zero amidst an Optus network upgrade. The devastating incident has sparked widespread outrage and scathing criticism from state and federal politicians.
On Thursday, the outage crippled emergency services in South Australia, the Northern Territory, and Western Australia, leaving hundreds of Australians in desperate need of help stranded. Optus Chief Executive Stephen Rue has since confirmed that three people, including an eight-week-old baby from Gawler West and a 68-year-old woman from Queenstown, lost their lives.
The circumstances surrounding each death, including any impact of the outage, are currently being investigated, with a report to be prepared for the State Coroner in each case. A third person, who has not been identified, also died in Western Australia.
“I want to offer a sincere apology to all customers who could not connect to emergency services when they needed them most,” Mr Rue said in a heartfelt statement. “I offer my most sincere and heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the people who passed away.”
The Optus CEO assured that an investigation is underway, stating, “I can confirm that 600 customers were potentially impacted, of which a proportion of their calls did not go through.” Welfare checks are ongoing, and the company is working to rectify the technical failure that caused the outage.
This is not the first time Optus has faced criticism for its handling of emergency services. In 2024, the company was fined $12 million for a similar outage, and in 2023, a major data breach scandal led to the resignation of former CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin.
As the investigation continues, Australians are left reeling from the devastating consequences of this catastrophic outage. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the importance of a reliable and efficient emergency services system.