New Zealand White Island volcano blast: Authorities to announce plan to retrieve bodies from blast site
A team of specialists will brave the White Island blast site to retrieve the dead, as survivors are flown to Sydney and Melbourne.
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Under tremendous pressure from local families and despite the risk of another volcanic eruption, New Zealand emergency workers will attempt the dangerous retrieval of eight bodies from the White Island blast site tomorrow morning.
NZ Police Deputy Commissioner Mike Clements said a team of about eight people will head to the mountain at first light.
“A C-130 Hercules aircraft landed at Whakatane Airport this afternoon. It brought with it specialist people and equipment so that we have the right capability on the ground to undertake this task, given that risk that I talked to you about,” he said.
“Not everyone in New Zealand Police, or indeed New Zealand Defence or those other agencies I spoke about, has the skills necessary. These are very specialist skills and the people who are going to be protected by the equipment they wear tomorrow are few and far between.”
The deputy commissioner emphasised the team was putting their lives at risk to retrieve bodies.
“They will go on to the island and they will make every effort to recover all of the bodies from the island and return them to Wellington. From there, we will move
those bodies back to the mainland. I have to emphasise that the risk has not gone. The risk remains present,” he said.
Clements said police had the “overwhelming support” of the families affected.
“They’ve been incredibly patient. It’s deeply emotional for people. I understand that. But I think they also understand that no loss of life, no careless loss of life, is going to make the situation better,” he said.
Earlier, NZ Deputy Commissioner John Tims said police were “finalising a plan” to recover the bodies off White Island following an emergency committee meeting in Whakatane today.
Several of the bodies on the island are those of Australians. Families were briefed on the plan this afternoon.
National Emergency Management Agency director Sarah Stuart-Black said the decision had the support of the committee.
“This is a police decision … this will be their decision and I’ll support them,” she said.
The return of the bodies is a white-hot issue on the ground in New Zealand, particularly for the families of local tour guides Marshall Inman and Tipene Maangi, whose bodies lie near the crater.
Whakatane Mayor Judy Turner said there was a “growing desperation” among families to see bodies returned.
Inman’s brother Mark has made a public appeal to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, asking her to relax travel restrictions on the island.
Hero helicopter pilot Mark Law, who flew onto the volcano after the eruption to assist the rescue effort, has made a similar appeal.
Clement, who took control of the local operation on Wednesday, made the scale of the challenge clear earlier today.
He said he “absolutely” feared a scenario where another eruption or a long delay to the retrieval could render a retrieval operation futile.
GNS Science, New Zealand’s geological monitoring agency, has given a 50 to 60 per cent chance of another eruption on White Island, an upgrade from yesterday.
“At no time in the last two years, probably longer, have the risks of further eruption been greater,” Mr Clement acknowledged.
He said a quick operation which did not allow for any time spent on the ground with bodies had “consequences or trade-offs”.
“One of the disciplines associated with uplifting deceased people in mass casualty situations is preserving the evidence that might lead to identification,” he said.
“The more time we can spend with the body when we uplift it form the circumstances in which they’ve died, the more likelihood we can preserve that evidence.
“We’ll get no thanks whatsoever if we reach a situation at the end of this where we’re not able to find identities. That would be a poor outcome for us.
“They’re all trade-off situations. That’s my job, to consider the options.”
Nico Fournier, a GNS volcanologist charged with providing information to the emergency committee, said the level of risk was one part of the conversation, and the acceptability of that risk was another.
“You wouldn’t jump in a car which is engulfed in flames if nothing was in there. If it’s your child, you will,” he said.
“That acceptability of risk is an important conversation.”
AUSSIE VICTIMS RETURN HOME AS PM ISSUES CHILLING MESSAGE
Five Australian survivors of the massive volcanic eruption in New Zealand have arrived at burns units in NSW and Victoria, and more are on the way.
Four patients landed overnight and three were taken to Sydney’s Concord Hospital – which has one of the state’s biggest burns units – and one to Royal North Shore Hospital to receive critical care.
The fifth was flown to Essendon Airport in Melbourne and transferred to The Alfred Hospital this morning.
A sixth victim landed at Essendon Airport tonight.
The person arrived about 6.15pm (AEDT) in a specialist plane, which is reportedly fitted with hi-tech medical equipment.
Paramedics exited the craft before the plane was backed into a hanger to unload the patient.
Sheets were held between the plane and a waiting ambulance to shield the patient who will be transferred to The Alfred.
Six others are being flown to Sydney, NSW Health said.
“All the victims are adults and are being assessed based on clinical priority,” NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant said in a statement.
Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said the state is ready to offer more assistance.
“Our focus is on ensuring the best clinical care for those injured, and support for their immediate family during this difficult time,” she said in a statement.
The evacuations are part of federal government operation activated a mass casualty response plan on Wednesday to bring to injured to burns units NSW and Victoria, pending the approval of doctors in NZ.
Three Royal Australian Air Force aircraft were deployed to Christchurch on Wednesday as part of the repatriation effort.
Another seven patients will be transferred across the Tasman over the next 24 hours.
Speaking from Melbourne, Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed 10 Australians were still missing and presumed dead.
“I want to start by just extending our deepest sympathies and concern and love to all of the families and all of those who have been affected by this,” Mr Morrison said.
“It’s obviously added to by the uncertainty and the frustration in being able to gain access, obviously, to the volcano and the Prime Minister has confirmed to me again that it is still a very dangerous place.”
The Prime Minister confirmed 24 Australians had been directly caught in the volcanic eruption. Four permanent residents were also caught in the blast.
“There are two who have passed away in hospital and a further one permanent resident who is missing and presumed deceased,” Mr Morrison said.
“In the days ahead, there will be worse news, based on what I’ve just relayed to you.”
The Prime Minister thanked the doctors and defence personnel working together to care for the Australians victims.
“I want to thank all of those who have been working in the New Zealand hospitals, in those burns units, providing amazing care and support,” Mr Morrison said.
“I want to thank our Defence Forces for the role that they’ve been playing in evacuating those Australians in hospital back to Australia where they can be closer to family and where they can get the ongoing attention and care they will need.
“They will have difficult rehabilitations as a result of their injuries in many cases.”
VICTIMS NAMED
There are now ten people confirmed dead, including nine Australians.
Berend Hollander, 16, and his brother Matthew Hollander, 13, were killed while visiting the site. The pair attended Knox Grammar School in Wahroonga, on Sydney’s north shore, where their father also went to school.
“It is with the greatest sadness that I can confirm that Matthew Hollander (Year 8) and Berend (known as ‘Ben’) Hollander (Year 10) have passed away in hospital as a result of injuries sustained in the White Island volcano eruption,” the school’s headmaster Scott James wrote in a letter to parents. “Please take some time to reflect on the lives of Matthew and Ben and this devastating loss for our community.
“Matthew was a vibrant member of the Class of 2023. He was involved in cadets and representing the school in basketball, squash and debating. He was elected as a Mentor Representative in 2018/19. Matthew had a close circle of friends and was popular among his peers. He was always enthusiastic about life and was actively involved in school and year group activities.
“Ben was actively engaged in sports and co-curricular activities at Knox, developing a passion for AFL, cadets, CRU and his biggest passion, baseball. He had a great love for the outdoors and camp. Ben was a compassionate and enthusiastic student, with an interest in software design. Ben’s engaging smile and quirky sense of humour made him a good mate to his close group of friends and a welcome member to every classroom.”
Devastated friends of NSW couple Karla Matthews, 32, and Richard Elzer, 32, issued a statement saying that the Coffs Harbour pair had tragically lost their lives on White Island.
Their friend, Jason Griffiths, 33, has died in hospital, where he was “surrounded by friends and family members”.
“On the 4th of December 2019, we embarked upon a cruise as a group of nine close friends who were looking forward to a wonderful holiday together,” the statement, which was signed Alex, Daniel, Ellie, Leanne, Paul and Samantha, said.
“We enjoyed the first five days of our trip and have many memories that will stay with us forever. On the 9th of December 2019, we were devastated by the news that three of our friends were visiting White Island on a shore excursion during the time of the eruption.
“Some time later, we discovered that two of our friends, Richard Elzer and Karla Mathews, were still on the island. We have been advised that there are no signs of life on the island.
“We then located our third friend, Jason Griffiths, in a hospital in the early hours of the next morning. From that moment until the moment of his passing, Jason was surrounded by friends and family members.
“We are incredibly saddened to have lost three of our closest friends.”
The distraught sister of volcano victim Mr Griffiths raced to her brother’s bedside in New Zealand but was too late.
Coffs Harbour resident Melissa Griffiths took to Facebook to express her anguish — commenting that she “was too late”.
“I love you bro, fly high I’m coming to bring you home … I promise I’ll be there real soon I will miss you always,” she posted initially.
“Now I just have to bring him home.”
Jason was surrounded by family and friends when he died.
Tour guide operator Hayden Marshall-Inman, from New Zealand, was the first victim of the tragedy to be publicly named.
Brisbane mother Julie Richards, 47, and her daughter Jessica, 20, as well as Adelaide lawyer Gavin Dallow and his 15-year-old stepdaughter, Zoe, have also been confirmed along the dead.
AFL Queensland Chief Executive Officer Dean Warren paid tribute to Ms Richards and her daughter.
“Our football community is grieving today, and we send our love and support to the Richards family, the Yeronga South Brisbane Football Club and the family’s wider circle of friends following the passing of Julie and Jessica,” Mr Warren said in a statement.
“Jessica, known as ‘Richo’, was a talented footballer who began playing with the Park Ridge Football Club before moving to Yeronga South Brisbane while her mother Julie was a familiar face to everyone at the club, volunteering her time heavily with the women’s team where she was a much-loved figure.
“At this time, AFL Queensland is working closely with the Yeronga South Brisbane Football Club on the support required to all players, coaches and staff at the club.
Earlier, news emerged that two Australians injured in the White Island eruption have been found in hospitals as authorities confirmed the nine tourists listed as missing might never be found.
As the RAAF begins the repatriation of injured Australians to hospital burns units in NSW and Victoria, more details have emerged about the final moments of those caught up in the horrific New Zealand volcano blast.
News Corp Australia can reveal authorities who went to the island on Tuesday, and sent drones, have only been able to pinpoint six bodies buried under ash.
The location of two others is not known but sources close to the “war room” of multiple agencies operating out of a staff cafeteria in the regional Whakatane council building say they would not have survived the initial eruption.
Many tried to escape the blast by entering the water.
They also said it was unlikely any bodies will be recovered in the near future with the volatility of the island including multiple tremors now extreme.
Seismic activity on the island, known locally as Whakaari, has significantly increased since Monday when it erupted killing six travellers, injuring more than 30 and leaving nine others – seven Australians and two New Zealanders – listed as missing presumed dead.
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“Yesterday there was a high risk of an eruption today there is an even higher risk of an eruption and the parameters are worsening at the moment,” GNS science volcanic geologist Graham Leonard said.
Plumes of steam and vented mud could be seen on White Island, 50km off New Zealand’s main North Island on Wednesday, with drones also recording a rise in toxic gas levels.
That news came as authorities confirmed:
• The first of the dead to be identified was Brisbane mother Julie Richards, 47, and her daughter Jessica, 20 as well as Adelaide lawyer Gavin Dallow and his 15-year-old stepdaughter Zoe Hosking have been confirmed dead while her mum Lisa Dallow remained in critical condition in hospital;
• Sydney teenager Jesse Langford, 19, was identified as one of those in hospital but the whereabouts of his parents and sister remain unknown;
• Manukau District Health Board chief medical officer Dr Peter Watson said 1.2 million square centimetres of skin for transplant had been ordered from the US with local surgical teams working 24 hours a day on shift to deal with horrific burns injuries of the eruption victims, one square metre of skin also arrived yesterday from Australia;
• Doctors confirmed the acid from the eruption was multiplying the difficulty to deal with burns and many had burnt throats;
• Of the still 30 patients in seven hospitals, 22 are in critical condition on airway support and Australian police arrived in New Zealand to help in body retrieval and identification.
NZ Chief coroner Judge Deborah Marshall meanwhile has declared the White Island eruption a “mass fatality incident” and said it could be “some weeks” before all the deceased are officially identified.
There is speculation that moves to retrieve the bodies on the island was under way on Wednesday before a storm front rolled in and seismic activity increased.
Around Whakatane there was a lot of activity with a HMNZS Wellington warship arriving closer off the coast of White Island with a naval helicopter and a military truck arriving at the local airport.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison issued a statement saying his government had activated a repatriation plan for Australian victims caught up in the eruption.
“Our focus, and that of the New Zealand Government, is on providing the best, most immediate clinical care for those in need,” he said.
HOSPITAL FORCED TO STOCK UP ON GLAD WRAP
A local hospital has revealed how it had to get stocks of industrial Glad Wrap from its kitchens to help treat patients as they were brought in from the White Island tragedy.
Quick thinking medics at the modest Whakatane Hospital, on New Zealand’s North Island, began wrapping the horrendously blistered, raw or completely missing skin victims – including many Australians – with the clear cling film to stave off infections and seal wounds.
They then had to race to a local shop to buy more, as much as they could, as metres of the stuff was needed.
But within the next hour they were overwhelmed with patients to the point hospital and allied health workers like physios were recruited in to help as bodies lined the corridors.
One medico who asked local media to not be named said the corridors were filled with screams.
“The smell of sulphur and burnt flesh was horrific and just the pandemonium going on.”
Some were so badly burnt there was actually no skin on the body to attach life-reading sensors to.
The doctor tried to roll one patient to one side but every time he touched her, skin would fall off in his hands.
Some patients were carrying mobile phones which were ringing but medics couldn't answer them, there was nothing they could say at the height of the crisis. Other patients were screaming for loved ones already dead or dying
All the patients were eventually transferred to larger hospitals with specialist burns units.
There was so much ash coming off the patients the next day airconditioning units had to stripped and cleaned.
Councillors have been made available to all staff at Whakatane Hospital.
EMERGENCY DOCTOR DESCRIBES ‘WAR ZONE’ HOSPITAL
A doctor treating burns patients has given a grim account of the survival chances of volcano victims in hospital.
“It’s one of the most challenging things to look at because you know the patients are in so much pain and will be fighting for their life for the next two or three weeks and even then they could die,” John Bonning, president of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine, told the New Zealand Herald.
A total of 29 patients remain in intensive care at four burns units.
“It was awful, just horrific. Saying it was like a war zone would not be an understatement,” Dr Bonning said.
TRIBUTES TO VICTIMS
On a hastily erected mesh fence securing the pier from which police boats come and go from Whakatane, a wall of flowers is building.
Most are being hung there by locals, many of whom line the shore looking out to the smouldering White Island, known locally as Whakaari, in both anger and hope.
But now foreign travellers are arriving, not to gawk but to pay respects. It’s become a rally point for the town and travellers to hug and grieve.
Touring Brisbane mother Jaime Herron and her daughter Bella brought flowers and a note, written on the back of a paper shopping bag, addressed to all the families and victims at this tough time.
They don’t know the dead or injured nor are connected to the tragedy but wanted to do something for the fallen fellow Aussies.
“They were just there having a good time then tragedy,” Mrs Herron said as she hung her bouquet.
“We just wanted to pass on our thoughts to the families and victims and pay our respects. They were Australians and I have friends who are going on that ship next week when it goes back to Sydney, so it felt a little close to home.”
She said it must also be terrible for locals. It is.
There is one local man, Hayden Marshall-Inman, confirmed dead and another, Tipene Maangi, listed among the missing.
Mr Maangi’s family and friends have been waterside staring out at Whakaari, praying he may have survived somehow in a cave or by the water’s edge and is waiting to come home.
“We have to hope, don’t we?” a family member who asked not to be named said. “We want him to come home now.”
Friend Shaniah Semmens said she had been crying off and on.
Mr Maangi, 24, had been working for White Island Tours, a job Ms Semmens had also once gone for.
“Everyone is just being hopeful really, I would rather it had been me than him out there,” she said emotionally of her lifelong friend.
Whakatane, which has an urban population of 19,700, survives on its tourism, mussels industry and paper mill.
About half the town’s population is Maori and the marae, traditional Maori meeting house, is at the centre of things physically and metaphorically.
It has been holding meetings in there to pray and mourn.
Local Steve Kerr said authorities just needed to get the bodies back to help people move on. Many locals reference Pike River Mine disaster, a 2010 coal mining accident where it took more than nine years to recover most of the dead.
“It’s a spiritual thing but we also don’t want another Pike River,” former firefighter Steve said after he had delivered food to the marae.
“It doesn’t feel right they are there and of course there are loved ones here waiting for them. This is a great town but people are sad. The Maoris particularly feel very strong about people being left out there, they see the island as having its own identity.”
– with staff writers
Originally published as New Zealand White Island volcano blast: Authorities to announce plan to retrieve bodies from blast site
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