15th December, 2019
The New Zealand Police said on Sunday that another victim had been confirmed dead in an Australian hospital, making the death toll in the White Island deadly eruption in New Zealand to be 16 at the moment.
According to Xinhuanet, the authority did not release the victim’s name or age at the request of his family.
Police Deputy Commissioner John Tims said that with three helicopters and eight members on board, the united squad of search team left for White island early Sunday morning.
“Unfortunately, we did not locate a body,” he said.
Tims also mentioned that the search operation lasted only about 75 minutes due to the toxic air condition on the island and the oxygen limit carried by the rescue personnel.
Divers’ work under the water was fruitless due to low visibility.
Meanwhile, the process of identifying victims and releasing bodies to their loved ones was ongoing in Auckland. Four more victims have been identified.
According to the news medium’s report, altogether 47 people were on White Island at the time of the eruption on Monday. The eruption also caused multiple injuries.
Many of the survivors still remain in critical conditions.
White Island, a volcanic island, is a famous tourist attraction which people can explore by boat or by helicopter. But now all tourist trips to the island have been suspended by the authorities.