Bearing grief of volcano horror

Not for the first time, Australians and New Zealanders are united in grief. The toll from Monday’s volcanic explosion on White Island is rising; 11 Australians are feared dead. Scott Morrison spoke about the tragedy as a “time of great innocence and joy interrupted by the horror of that eruption”. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said her nation shared in the “unfathomable grief” and sorrow of kin, especially for “our Australian family”. Authorities are mounting recovery operations, with hospitals providing acute care for dozens of severely burned people.

It is difficult to fathom why tour operators continued taking visitors to White Island despite warnings eruptive activity was more likely than normal. GNS Science’s warning was raised last month to level 2, one below eruption actually occurring. “We are measuring significant changes and there is increased eruption potential,” the local geoscience institute said. Since a 2016 eruption, the island was placed at level 2 only twice. In a busy cruise season, private tour operators are keen to take as many of their customers as possible to the island. About 20,000 tourists visit the island each year. White Island Tours has said it “operates through the varying alert levels” but “passengers should be aware that there is always a risk of eruptive activity regardless of the alert level”. That may be true, but cruises don’t fit under the “adventure tourism” banner. It may be time for decision-making on such a risky activity to be taken away from day-trippers — as well as those with a financial interest in taking as many tourists as possible to the island.

There were legitimate questions to be asked about the tragedy, Ms Ardern said, but they could wait until the emergency response was complete. New Zealand Police is investigating the death of individuals on White Island on behalf of the coroner, in parallel with a WorkSafe New Zealand probe; police said it was too early to confirm a criminal investigation would take place. In any case, better protocols must emerge to avoid another tragedy on this scale. Volcano tourism is a specialist area, with greater than usual risks. Scientists are the best people to judge whether it’s safe to visit seismic hot spots. Warnings must be heeded.