Optus Triple-Zero Outage Causes Multiple Deaths Across Australia

Optus experienced a major telecommunications outage during a firewall upgrade that disrupted triple-zero emergency calls across South Australia, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory, lasting around ten hours. The failure impacted approximately 600 customers and has been linked to the deaths of at least three people, including an eight-week-old baby, a 68-year-old woman, and a 74-year-old man, with a possible fourth death under investigation. Optus CEO Stephen Rue apologized but faced criticism for the delay in disclosing the issue and for initially understating the outage's duration. South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas condemned Optus for failing to provide timely and detailed information to authorities, including names and addresses of affected individuals, until after media pressure. The company is still investigating the technical cause of the outage, which occurred during a firewall upgrade intended to improve security. Officials and the public remain deeply concerned about the handling and consequences of the incident.