satellite image of Whakaari, White Island
WELLINGTON, Dec 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Police in New Zealand are planning a mission to volcanic White Island on Friday to retrieve bodies of people killed in this week’s eruption, while the known death toll from the disaster climbed to eight, with two people dying in hospital.
Eight more people are missing and presumed dead, buried under ash and debris from Monday’s eruption. More than 20 people are in hospital, many with severe burns, while seven others have been transferred to burns units in Australia.
“I can now confirm that we are finalising a plan to recover the bodies from Whakaari/ White Island tomorrow (Friday) morning,” police Deputy Commissioner John Tims said in a statement on Thursday, adding families will be briefed on the operation.
Another police officer, Deputy Commissioner Mike Clement, later told a news conference that a team would deploy at first light on Friday.
Six bodies could be seen and there would be “very limited” opportunity to search for the other two, he said.
The volcano on White Island was “highly volatile” and could erupt again within days, said authorities.
“We are now living with a growing sense of desperation to bring home those that we know are there and those we love,” said Judy Turner, the mayor of Whakatane, the nearest town on the mainland. “The frustration of those families most affected is completely understandable. No news is not good news for people in this situation.”
The volcano, a popular tourist destination for day-trips, erupted on Monday, spewing ash and steam over the island.
There were 47 people on the island, also known by its Maori name Whakaari, at the time of the eruption. Twenty-four of those were from Australia, nine from the United States, five from New Zealand, four from Germany, two each from China and Britain and one from Malaysia.
Many of the injured are being treated for severe burns, and medical officials are importing some 1.2 million square cm of skin. The amount of skin needed equates to about 60 donors. In New Zealand, only five to 10 people donate skin each year, the New Zealand Herald reported.
Teams of surgeons in several burns units around the country were working around the clock.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said 12 Australians would be taken back home for treatment. One citizen would remain in a New Zealand hospital.
Morrison said 11 Australians had died, a figure that is believed to be drawn from the 16 people officially listed dead and missing by New Zealand. Further, he said two permanent residents of Australia had died, one was missing and a fourth was hospitalised.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said there will be an inquiry into the tragedy, which will also look more broadly at issues including access to volcanic sites across New Zealand.
Daily tours bring more than 10,000 visitors to privately owned White Island every year, marketed as “the world’s most accessible active marine volcano”. — NNN-AGENCIES