Who Were The Whakaari Volcano Victims? Fatalities And Survivors

When the Whakaari Volcano erupted in the South Island of New Zealand in September, it claimed the lives of sixteen people. And thankfully, many others were able to escape the wrath of the quake by taking refuge on a cruise ship. This article looks into the victims and their families and explores the reaction from the country and from the company that owned the vessel.

16 confirmed victims

Whakaari Island, an uninhabited island off the north-eastern coast of New Zealand, erupted on Monday. The resulting explosion sent a tower of steam and ash some 12,000 feet into the air. The smoke was hot and scalding. Some people were burned by falling debris.

The eruption was followed by a four-hour salvage operation. An expert retrieval team wore yellow hazmat suits and breathing apparatus. They were assisted by eight New Zealand military personnel equipped with heavy protection equipment. It was a difficult and risky undertaking. However, they succeeded in recovering six of the eight bodies from the island.

The final victim has not yet been identified. Among the victims were Pratap “Paul” Singh and Mayuari “Mayu” Singh, both American. The American couple had an 11-year-old son. Both suffered burns to more than half their bodies in the December 9 eruption.

Survivors

The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari, a Netflix documentary, recounts the tragic volcanic eruption that occurred on the east coast of the North Island, New Zealand on December 9. Twenty-two people were killed, including one tourist guide, and twenty-five injured. A total of eight people remain missing.

When the eruption began, the volcano’s crater was a lake of steam and gas. Sulfur deposits made the ground yellow, sparkle in the sun, and emit scalding smoke. There was also a plume of ash that rose thousands of feet into the air.

The eruption was so virulent that people on the island were burned by hot debris. It was so bad that a commercial helicopter pilot knew they could reach the volcano in less than thirty minutes.

Cruise ship company

As the Whakaari/White Island volcano eruption continues to unfold, the cruise ship company that was involved is facing a lawsuit from victims and their families. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd is being sued for the injuries and deaths of its passengers on December 9, 2011.

In addition to Ovation of the Seas, other people on the island at the time of the eruption included two British tourists, four Germans, and one Malaysian passenger. The other passengers were from independent tours.

One Australian couple, Marie and Paul Browitt, is suing the cruise line. They claim that the cruise line did not adequately warn passengers of the risks of traveling to a foreign port on a cruise.

While there were no written warnings about the dangers of a tour to the Whakaari island, Royal Caribbean had raised the alert level to two before the explosion. The law firm Stacks Goudkamp will file suit against the cruise line in Australia.

Watchdog

The volcano eruption on White Island (Whakaari) three years ago has claimed the lives of 22 people and left many more injured. It also caused significant burns on the bodies of those who were caught in the eruption.

Authorities aren’t sure how many people are on the island. Three British nationals are missing. But eight more are believed to be dead.

The eruption was accompanied by a violent ejection of hot blocks from the volcanic vent. It emitted a cloud of scalding smoke and temperatures of 200 degrees Celsius. People were burned by falling debris and boiling ash.

After the eruption, Whakatane was in shock. The local hospital was overwhelmed with serious injuries. Search and rescue operations continue at local levels.

The victims of the eruption included Australians, New Zealanders, and British tourists. Twenty-two of them were from Australia, while the other 24 were from the United Kingdom and Malaysia.

Reaction from New Zealand

Whakaari is an andesitic composite volcano located in the eastern Bay of Plenty, about 50 km off the coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is an active volcano with a crater that has been the scene of several explosive eruptions over the past 14 months. During this period, five ash and steam eruptions were recorded. In addition, a small lava dome was extruded in 2013.

The island was visited by Geoff Hopkins and his daughter on a family holiday. Geoff was in a boat offshore when the eruption occurred. He cut the injured people out of their clothes and poured fresh water on them.

Survivors were covered with burns. Others had minor injuries. Some of the victims were tourists on a cruise ship. More than 20 people died in the eruption. Many more were severely burned.