NZ volcano eruption: ‘Too early’ to identify the six bodies removed from White Island, says NZ top cop
New images reveal efforts by NZ troops who faced a risky mission to retrieve six bodies off White Island, but two remain there.
- Families’ relief at mission success
- Six bodies removed
- First body removed
- Blessing a ‘spiritual’ experience
- Six bodies located
- Families gather as mission begins
New Zealand military personnel have recovered six of the eight bodies left on White Island following the eruption disaster. Follow the latest below.
READ MORE: Military rescue to bring lost souls home | Brazilian tourist captures eruption | Burns may lead to amputations | ‘The girls are her whole world’ | Bonded in life, now bonded in death | Spirited brothers ‘always outdoors’ | We acted with all due care: tour boss
David King 4.35pm: One Aussie still on island
One Australian is thought to be among those still missing on New Zealand’s White Island.
Foreign minister Marise Payne was reported on Friday as saying that the six bodies recovered from the island were all Australian. Two bodies could not be recovered and NZ authorities will continue the search.
NZ media outlet Stuff has reported that the body of a New Zealand tour guide Tipene Maagni is among those recovered, according to social media posts by his family.
In a televised press conference New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said reports that all of those recovered were Australian weren’t correct.
“That simply will not be the case,” Ms Ardern said.
“I don’t think there was any deliberate attempt there, to mislead of any kind, that just simply won’t be accurate.”
Mark Schliebs 2.32pm: ‘too early’ to ID volcano bodies
New Zealand’s top cop says its too early to say which bodies have been retrieved from White Island, despite the Australian government expecting all six to be Australian nationals.
This came as a senior New Zealand military official has revealed how a team of highly trained medics and explosive disposal soldiers retrieved six bodies off White Island on Friday morning.
Asked whether all of those people were Australian, Foreign Minister Marise Payne said: “I think it is difficult to say in advance of the formal process but we know, and we have been advised by authorities, that that is expected to be the case, yes.”
But New Zealand Police Commissioner Mike Bush said on Friday afternoon that it was too early for such calls to be made.
“I’m aware of that commentary,” Mr Bush said. “I would say it’s too early to say. We’ve got a process in hand to identify those six that were recovered.”
Mr Bush said authorities would continue to search for the bodies of two other people that could not be seen on the island, with divers currently deployed near where one body was seen in the water near the island on Tuesday.
“Unfortunately, there remains two more people that we need to find so that we can also return them,” he said. “So this operation will continue. We are this afternoon returning with an aerial search of Whakaari to see if we can identify anyone else on the island. And we are also, right now, deploying our dive team to search the surrounding waters. We will continue the search for these two people.”
Defence Force senior officer Colonel Ryan McKinstry said he was proud of the work done by the team of eight, made up of members of the explosive ordinance disposal squadron and Army medics, who landed on the island early Friday morning.
They then went into the crater amid warnings of a possible eruption and dangerous gases - which were being assessed as soon as they landed at a jetty on the island after launching from a naval frigate shortly after dawn this morning.
They spent four pain-staking hours on the island before completing their mission.
“The conditions and terrain on the island were difficult and given the potential for another eruption we had planned on how we could recover the six identified deceased while minimising our time on the island due to the assessed risks in carrying out this operation,” Colonel McKinstry said.
“The conditions on the island were challenging and they were challenging from the point of departure this morning. When we made our assessment on go/no go - on whether it was safe to do so this morning - our assessment and consultation with GNS Science was that there was a 6 per cent chance in any three hour period that the volcano may erupt. That met our threshold.”
He said the team - six men and two women - wore heavy duty personal protection equipment and a back-up unit was also ready to be deployed.
“They were wearing … a yellow hazmat suit with a hood, that has a closed-circuit breathing apparatus system (with a) gas mask,” he said. So that the operator, while they’re on the island, can operate within a closed system and be protected from any gases that may be present. There was testing conducted throughout the operation (and) before our personnel left the jetty and ventured into the centre of the island.
“We had good quality mapping that we had briefed our teams on, so they knew the general area of where those persons lay.”
He said the team were trained for “unique” operations, but the things they saw on the island would mean they would need a “debrief”.
“Without doubt, those individuals will have experienced things today that would require some level of discussion and debrief with them,” he said.
11.52am: Half of volcano victims are Australian
The latest official update indicates 14 Australian citizens and residents are likely to have died in Monday’s volcanic eruption. That’s half of the 28 citizens and residents caught up in the disaster.
Here’s the latest:
AUSTRALIAN CITIZENS (24 in total):
* 11 confirmed dead, or presumed dead or missing.
* 11 survivors transferred home to Australian hospitals.
* One further survivor expected to be brought home within 24 hours.
* One other survivor will remain in hospital in New Zealand.
PERMANENT AUSTRALIAN RESIDENTS (4 in total):
* Two died in hospital.
* One is presumed dead or missing.
* One expected to be transferred to Australia in the next 24 hours.
BODIES RECOVERED FROM WHITE ISLAND (6 so far)
New Zealand police say the bodies belong to:
* Brisbane woman Julie Richards, 47, and her daughter Jessica, 20.
* Melbourne woman Krystal Browitt, 21.
* Coffs Harbour couple Richard Elzer, 32, and Karla Matthews.
* Adelaide schoolgirl Zoe Hosking, 15.
Source: NZ Police/ AAP
11.01am: Six recovered expected to bodies of Australians: Payne
All six bodies recovered so far from a New Zealand volcano are expected to be confirmed as those of Australians, the foreign minister says.
Marise Payne said two bodies remain on the island and New Zealand authorities are hoping to go back for them as soon as possible.
Asked on Friday if the six bodies that had been lifted off White Island were all Australians, she said: “I think it is difficult to say in advance of the formal process but we know, and we have been advised by authorities, that that is expected to be the case, yes.”
Senator Payne said 11 Australian survivors had been flown by military and civilian aircraft to hospitals in Melbourne and Sydney.
“One Australian who may be able to be transferred remains in New Zealand and we hope that that transfer will be affected in the coming days,” she said. “We then have, of course, those bodies who have been retrieved from the island this morning and of course those who were able to get off the island who returned to the vessel itself or otherwise left New Zealand.”
She said there were also four permanent residents of Australia who had been caught up in the eruption.
Two died in hospital, one was presumed dead, and there were plans to transfer the fourth to Australia for ongoing medical care.
AAP
Mark Schliebs 10.52am: Families’ relief at successful retrieval
Family members gathered in Whakatane clapped with relief and joy when they learned the operation to retrieve the bodies of loved ones successfully recovered six bodies from White Island.
NZ Police Deputy Commissioner Wally Haumaha was with family members of the missing Australians and New Zealanders when they were told that the operation was a success and said they were “absolutely ecstatic”.
“I don’t know if you heard the sighs of relief, the joy, the clapping and just the appreciation that this phase of the operation has been successful in terms of returning the six bodies off the island,” Mr Haumaha said.
“They have got their loved ones coming home. And to be able to take them back to Australia … if that was your son or your daughter or my son or my daughter, what would you be thinking?”
He said the bodies were on-board the HMNZS Wellington before being brought to the mainland. They will then transported to Auckland for identification.
Two of the eight bodies that were left on the island have yet to be found, and Mr Haumaha said he did not know to whom they belonged.
They may yet be recovered, he added.
“At this point in time, they (the families) are just thinking about recovery and bringing back home the six bodies,” he said. “We’ll deal with the other parts as it progresses.”
It had been a long wait for family members who gathered in Whakatane on Friday.
They were each contacted and asked if they would like to travel near the island to be part of a traditional Maori blessing.
Those who agreed boarded a boat at 4.30am (2.30am AEDT) and were taken close to the island, where the volcano is still spewing out steam.
Mr Haumaha said the blessing, along with the songs they heard when returning to the harbour, had touched them.
“They just couldn’t express it,” he said. “Even though they didn’t understand the language, they felt that genuine contact and what was taking place.”
Mark Schliebs 9.22am: Six bodies removed
Six bodies have now been removed from New Zealand’s White Island, with no word on whether a crack team of specialist military personnel has located two bodies that could not be seen during reconnaissance flights.
Deputy Commissioner John Tims said: “Six bodies have been successfully recovered from Whakaari / White Island and are now on board HMNZS Wellington.”
They are expected to be flown to the mainland today.
Mark Schliebs 9.00am: One body removed
One body has now been removed from White Island, with five more expected to follow.
NZ Police have released a statement about the recovery a short time ago. made a statement
“One body has been successfully recovered from Whakaari / White Island and is now on board HMNZS Wellington,” Deputy Commissioner John Tims said.
“The operation to recover the remaining bodies continues.”
Rosie Lewis 8.57am: Most Aussies to return home by weekend: Ardern
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says most of the Australian victims of the White Island volcano disaster should be medivaced back home by the weekend.
Five Australians had already returned home to be closer to loved ones, she said.
Speaking on ABC radio, Ms Ardern said the operation to retrieve bodies from the island had been a priority for New Zealand since the eruption on Monday but advice from scientists and volcanologists had to be taken before it could get underway.
“We just want to bring everyone home,” she said.
“My understanding is that from today we should be getting close to having almost every Australian victim back home and in Australia’s care.”
Ms Ardern said she was making no judgment as to whether the “right checks and balances” were in place that led to tourists being on the island when the active and unpredictable volcano erupted.
Confirming there was a criminal investigation underway with the involvement of coroners and New Zealand’s workplace regulator Worksafe, Ms Ardern said: “People deserve to have their questions answered.
“People have been visiting the volcano and getting in close proximity to that crater for a number of years and many New Zealanders will have their own stories of having visited the volcano but these are things that I wish to allow a bit of time and space for expert and some proper analysis before making any judgment.”
Mark Schliebs 8.50am: Blessing a ‘spiritual, fulfilling’ experience
The brother of a tour guide whose body has remained on New Zealand’s White Island has described the emotional scenes on a boat that took relatives near the volcano for a special ceremony.
Mark Inman, whose brother Hayden Marshall-Inman was one of eight people who did not return from the island, said the Australian family members were touched by the service.
“They absolutely appreciated it,” Mr Inman said. “They got to share their side and their culture as well. But they also expressed to the people on the boat how welcomed and humbled they were to be a part of it as well.”
When the boat returned, it paused as it entered the harbour as a crowd of Whakatane locals sang together on the shore.
He said he felt proud to be a New Zealander and thanked the local Maori community in Whakatane for facilitating the blessing.
“Obviously there was a lot of emotion,” Mr Inman said. “It was a really spiritual, fulfilling morning. It was one of those moments when you’re proud to be a New Zealander.”
He said family members were receiving regular updates on the process of retrieving the bodies from the island.
“We’re making progress and we’re moving forward and that’s all we want. We just want our loved ones back.”
Mark Schliebs 8.37am: Six bodies located, to be airlifted
Six bodies are about to be airlifted from White Island after a team of New Zealand soldiers launched a daring retrieval operation.
NZ Police Deputy Commissioner John Tims said the bodies were located by the team earlier Friday morning.
“Six bodies have been prepared for air lifting off Whakaari / White Island and the process to transport them to HMNZS Wellington by helicopter has begun,” he said.
He did not mention the other two bodies, whose locations were unknown to authorities on Thursday.
Mark Schliebs 8.14am: Favourable conditions for recovery operation
The operation to retrieve at least six bodies off White Island could last another two hours, NZ Police say.
Deputy Commissioner John Tims said conditions on the island remain favourable for the recovery team.
“The operation to recover the bodies from Whakaari / White Island is progressing and the team is well advanced with the recovery of the bodies,” Mr Tims said.
“We expect the recovery operation to continue for another couple of hours.”
Mark Schliebs 7.40am: White Island tour boss speaks
Paul Quinn, chairman of White Island Tours, said family representatives – including Australians – were taken out near the volcano by boat at about 4.45am for a service prior to the moving of the bodies.
Mr Quinn said they have since gone to a traditional Maori hall for a service.
“We now join together – the two families that were on the boat plus our Australian guests that were also on the boat – and we share food together and conversation and just bind together to bring this part of the ceremony to closure,” he said.
The bodies of two White Island Tours staff remain on the island, as with those of six Australians who his company took to the volcano on Monday, when a level 2 alert was in place.
Mark Schliebs 7.32am: Operation ‘taking longer than expected’
A crack team of soldiers have arrived at the area where police believe most of the eight bodies left on New Zealand’s White Island following Monday’s eruption are located.
NZ Police said the “operation is taking more time than expected”.
“This is due to the protective equipment the recovery team is wearing which can be restrictive and heavy but is necessary,” police said in a statement.
At Whakatane, Deputy Commissioner Mike Clement said the retrieval operation was largely going ahead as planned.
“The plan I had anticipated last evening is underway,” he said. “We have operators on the island. As I said last night, there are many things that could go wrong with the plan, given that we don’t control all of the circumstances. But for the time being our planning is playing out as we had hoped.”
Mark Schliebs 7.13am: Tears as families return from blessing
Family members of Australians whose bodies have been stuck on New Zealand’s White Island have returned to the mainland in tears after travelling near the volcano as part of a blessing ceremony.
As they returned by boat, a team of eight New Zealand soldiers landed at the island to begin retrieving bodies.
Members of Whakatane’s Maori community sang to the families as their boat returned to the harbour.
They were greeted at the dock by officials from police and government, before being taken across the road to a Maori hall for a private ceremony.
None were willing to comment.
7.00am: Soldiers land on White Island
A team of elite New Zealand soldiers have landed on White Island on a perilous mission to retrieve the bodies left when an eruption hit visiting tour groups earlier this week, police said.
“The recovery team undertaking the operation to remove bodies on Whakaari-White Island have landed on the island,” deputy commissioner John Tims said in a brief statement, as the volcano still threatens to erupt.
AFP
Mark Schliebs 6.10am: Families gather as White Island mission begins
A dangerous mission to retrieve at least six bodies from New Zealand’s White Island has begun.
NZ Police Deputy Commissioner John Tims said the launch of the operation followed a “blessing” near the island.
“This morning a blessing was held at sea with representatives of the families of the victims of the Whakaari / White Island volcanic eruption,” he said.
Members of the Whakatane community have gathered at the shoreline, waiting for the return of bodies from Whakaari / White Island pic.twitter.com/yYRbEb8TOt
— Mark Schliebs (@mark_schliebs) December 12, 2019
“The family representatives are returning to the mainland and the operation to recover the eight bodies on the island has commenced.”
Police have locations for six bodies and their main priority is to recover them. If two other bodies can be found by the team of eight military personnel sent to the island, they will also be brought back.
Members of the Whakatane community had gathered at the shoreline before dawn, hoping that the operation will be safe and successful.
Seven Jewish Israelis arrested for spying for Iran
The spy network gathered information on Israel’s military bases and energy infrastructure for Iranian intelligence for up to two years, Israeli police say.
Rudd’s verdict on Xi offers key lessons for Albanese
The problem with the Albanese government’s foreign policy is that it deals with serious issues on the basis of looks, convenience and short-term politics.