Small volcanic island off New Zealand erupts unexpectedly, killing approx 50 tourists

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MKSheppard
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Small volcanic island off New Zealand erupts unexpectedly, killing approx 50 tourists

Post by MKSheppard »

From another forum:

Royal Caribbean International cruise ship Ovation of the Seas was shuttling tour groups to and from White Island when it exploded. The last tour boat out turned around and rescued 23 people and recovered 5 bodies. NZ authorities say the island is too dangerous to land on and expect no survivors of approximately 50 tourists who are unaccounted for.[/n]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qy6129JOaA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qy6129JOaA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzNKv0hbkCY

A tour group was pictured inside the crater on a webcam at 2.10pm, just one minute before the eruption took place

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Re: Small volcanic island off New Zealand erupts unexpectedly, killing approx 50 tourists

Post by Darth Yoshi »

According to the BBC, there were 47 people on the island at the time of the eruption, with 34 survivors, 5 dead and 8 missing.
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Re: Small volcanic island off New Zealand erupts unexpectedly, killing approx 50 tourists

Post by bilateralrope »

Those missing tourists are probably dead.

Whakaari/White Island: 47 on island when it erupted, five confirmed dead, eight missing
A pilot who landed on Whakaari/White Island on Tuesday to explore the volcano where eight people are still missing after it erupted on Monday afternoon found no signs of life.

Forty-seven people were on Whakaari/White Island when it erupted at 2.11pm Monday, police said.

On Tuesday morning, Waikato police superintendent Bruce Bird said five people were confirmed dead, while 31 were still in hospital and three had been discharged. The remaining eight people on the island were still unaccounted for, but believed to be dead.

Rescue helicopters, the police Eagle helicopter, and New Zealand Defence Force aircraft have been making reconnaissance flights over the island.

On Tuesday afternoon police announced a criminal investigation would be carried out into the deaths and injuries.

At a press conference on Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the pilot who explored the volcano on Tuesday "physically moved around the island rather than just an aerial survey and did so for some time, and brought back that report that unfortunately there was no sign of life".

It was initially deemed too dangerous for pilots to land to make any post-eruption assessments.

Ardern said those on the island at the time of the eruption included New Zealanders, as well as tourists from Australia, the UK, the US, China, and Malaysia.

"To those who have lost or are missing family and friends, we share in your unfathomable grief," she said.

"For now, obviously our duty is to return loved ones."

Government and public buildings are flying the New Zealand flag at half-mast as a mark of mourning and respect.

Ardern praised the first responders and pilots who rescued the injured.

"A number of helicopters made a deliberate decision to fly to the island to rescue survivors," she said.

Ardern confirmed on Tuesday morning the injured were being treated at seven hospitals - Auckland, Wellington, Middlemore, Tauranga, Christchurch, Hutt City, and Whakatāne.

All the expertise available in burns units throughout the country was being used. she said.

Eight patients remained in Waikato Hospital in a critical condition, a Waikato DHB spokesman said.

Canterbury DHB have confirmed they're treating eight patients at Christchurch Hospital.

Four people remained in Middlemore Hospital in Auckland in a critical condition, a spokeswoman said. Two were admitted on Monday and the other two on Tuesday morning.
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Re: Small volcanic island off New Zealand erupts unexpectedly, killing approx 50 tourists

Post by Broomstick »

The TV news here is reporting that one of the people in hospital have died, bringing the official death toll to six although no one is expecting any of those unable to be located for evacuation to be alive.
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Re: Small volcanic island off New Zealand erupts unexpectedly, killing approx 50 tourists

Post by Broomstick »

Update:

As of this morning there are six confirmed deaths (one person died in the hospital on Tuesday) That leaves 31 in the hospital, of which 27 have burns over 30% or more of their bodies, many over 50%, and at least one (a newlywed tourist from the US) has around 80%. Some of these burns are deep and severe and patients have already had to undergo surgery for them. Burn injuries also include injuries to the lungs, probably from inhaling sulfur dioxide (a pretty common volcanic gas) as well as hot air and volcanic ash. By the way, volcanic "ash" is actually very, very fine fragments of volcanic glass with sharp edges. It's not something you want to inhale. That is extremely bad news and likely more of the injured will die.

New Zealand is looking at transferring the injured Australians to Australia to free up local resources, but many patients are not stable enough to transport, and people from places like the US and UK will have to remain in New Zealand for some time as there is no way to transport severely injured people halfway around the world in a safe manner. It will be weeks, at the very least, before those patients are stable enough to move.

No one is expecting those missing on the island (eight people) to be found alive.
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Re: Small volcanic island off New Zealand erupts unexpectedly, killing approx 50 tourists

Post by Darth Yoshi »

If that's the group in the crater right before it blew, then yeah.
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Re: Small volcanic island off New Zealand erupts unexpectedly, killing approx 50 tourists

Post by EnterpriseSovereign »

The half-buried wreckage of a missing chopper was quickly located, because the whole area is still too dangerous to land recovering/identifying any occupants will have to wait.
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Re: Small volcanic island off New Zealand erupts unexpectedly, killing approx 50 tourists

Post by Broomstick »

New witness reports on the injured say that some of the people, in addition to burns to their extremities and exposed skin had burns to their tongues, which would indicate inhaling superheated gasses and/or corrosive chemicals. Both of which are features of volcanic eruptions, of course.

Meanwhile, New Zealand has ordered 1.2 million square centimeters of donated skin from the US to use in treatment of the injured because it is expected the needs of the patients will soon exceed their supplies of such tissues
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Re: Small volcanic island off New Zealand erupts unexpectedly, killing approx 50 tourists

Post by SpottedKitty »

Bigger chunks are a hazard as well — I remember my geography teacher had a lava bomb on her windowsill that she'd picked up from (I think) Etna. Several inches across, very heavy dark grey rock, flattened into a "flying saucer" shape where it hit the ground while still not quite solidified. These things can be tossed a mile or more into the air, and when they come down they'll hit like a cannonball.

Just saw a BBC News photo of the other helicopter that was destroyed on the ground; all I can think of is the massive ash deposits on Santorini. I'm amazed anyone got away from the island.
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Re: Small volcanic island off New Zealand erupts unexpectedly, killing approx 50 tourists

Post by LadyTevar »

Divers Searching for the Last Missing Bodies
New Zealand police deployed divers to look for two bodies near White Island volcano, after six bodies were retrieved in a recovery operation.

The volcano erupted on Monday with 47 people there. Eight people were missing on the island, presumed dead.

Another eight have already been confirmed dead and around 20 remain in intensive care with severe burns.

The retrieval on Friday was launched despite the risk of another eruption.

The search for the two remaining bodies will continue on Saturday morning, police said.

The recovery of the bodies from White Island, also known by its Maori name of Whakaari, was delayed over safety concerns for the members of any search operation.

Speaking to reporters after the bodies were retrieved, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said questions over why people were allowed to visit the active volcano "must be answered, and will be answered".

But she said "we also need to respect the phase we're in now, with families only just getting their loved ones back".

How did the recovery unfold?
On Friday morning, a "high-speed" retrieval to get the bodies was launched - even though the risk remained unchanged.

Going in, authorities knew the location of six of the missing and those bodies were airlifted off the island.

A team of eight specialists from the New Zealand Defence Force flew by helicopter to the island and spent four hours retrieving the bodies.

They were taken to a naval patrol boat and then brought back to the mainland.

"Unfortunately the recovery option is not over as two people remain unaccounted for," Police Commissioner Mike Bush said in a statement.

"We know at least one body is in the water and divers are currently attempting to recover this body.

"We are making every effort to locate and recover the two remaining deceased."

What was the danger?
Volcanologists warned that if the volcano erupted while they were on the island, the team could face magma, superheated steam, ash and rocks thrown at high speed.

GeoNet, New Zealand's geological hazard information site, said on Thursday there was a 50-60% chance of another eruption on Friday.

Mr Bush said it was a dangerous mission for those involved.

"The environment that those staff encountered was unpredictable, challenging and those staff showed absolute courage in order to ensure that those six people were returned to their loved ones."

The specialists from the New Zealand Defence Force who went to the island were kitted out with protective clothing and breathing apparatus.

During the operation, a geologist analysed real-time data to assess whether the mission needed to be aborted.

Earlier on Friday, Deputy Police Commissioner John Tims paid tribute to the retrievers.

"I would like to acknowledge the recovery team for their efforts and the bravery they have shown today," he said.

He also offered his "thoughts and prayers" to families of those killed at what he described as a "tragic and harrowing time".

How were the others saved?
Of those on the island when the eruption happened, 24 were from Australia, nine from the US, five from New Zealand, four from Germany, two from China, two from the UK, and one from Malaysia.

After the eruption, most of the visitors were taken off the island in dramatic rescue efforts.

Some tourist boats already on the way to the mainland turned back to take in those stranded.

Meanwhile, commercial pilots headed back to the island - as the eruption was ongoing - to look for survivors.

Many of those who made it off the island were severely injured and burnt.
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