Summary
- Efforts to reach White Island have in effect been called off for Wednesday after GNS Science, New Zealand’s main scientific organisation, said tremors had increased since this morning and there was a “medium likelihood” – a 40-60% chance – of an eruption in the next 24 hours
- Police have said they intend “absolutely to return to that island” but that it can happen only “when there are no risks and the risks can be managed”. Searchers would face “serious physical and chemical hazards”, says John Tims from the New Zealand police.
- 30 patients remain in burns units across New Zealand, 22 of whom still need airway support. One person is being transferred to Sydney later today. Doctors are close to full identification of all patients.
- Police have released a list of nine victims who are officially missing. The list is a mix of six people known to have died, and three more who are presumed dead but whose bodies remain on the island.
- Health officials require 120 square metres of skin to treat victims, highlighting the severity of the burns injuries. This has been ordered from the United States. Australia has already provided one square metre.
- The Australian Defence Force will soon be arriving to repatriate injured Australians, with one due to arrive in Sydney later today.
- Tims defended the decision not to allow rescuers to return to the island on Monday, but says it was made “at a local level”.
- The alert level remains at three, on a scale of increasing activity of one to five.
Scott Morrison, Australia’s prime minister, has released further details of the repatriation effort in a joint statement with foreign affairs minister Marise Payne, defence minister Lisa Reynolds and emergency management minister David Littleproud.
He anticipates transferring up to 10 injured patients to New South Wales and Victoria, within the next 24 hours. Three Royal Australian Air Force aircraft – a C-130 Hercules and two C-17 Globemasters – have been deployed to Christchurch with a team of specialist aircrew and medical equipment on board.
The NSW, Victorian, Queensland and South Australian governments have also provided aircraft.
In his statement the ministers say: “Today is another difficult day for those involved in the White Island volcano disaster in New Zealand, for people who remain in hospital and families who have received the most devastating of news, and those still enduring the agony of awaiting news of their loved ones.
“Our hearts go out to all of the Australians and their families caught up in this tragedy, and our Kiwi cousins across the Tasman.
“This is a time of immense grief and great sorrow for everyone involved.”
Here are some edited excerpts from this afternoon’s press conferences with police and health officials, plus a volcano expert.
Nine victims named
New Zealand police have released the names of nine victims. Seven of them are Australian, two are New Zealanders. Officially, they have been classed as missing, although some have already been confirmed as dead.
- Gavin Dallow (Australia)
- Jessica Richards (Australia)
- Krystal Browitt (Australia)
- Richard Elzer (Australia)
- Zoe Hosking (Australia)
- Karla Matthews (Australia)
- Julie Richards (Australia)
- Tipene Maangi (New Zealand)
- Hayden Inman (New Zealand)
Updated
Gavin’s father, Brian Dallow, has just spoken to the media. He praised his son as “a person who was always interested in helping other people” and enjoyed a range of sports.
His body is in Auckland and will be released after a postmortem examination and flown back home.
He says Gavin was the kind of person who “if he’d known there was a danger he wouldn’t have gone”.
‘At Christmas we’re really going to miss him.”
Gavin Dallow was a “wonderful son and brother”, according to a family statement. “We’ll miss him at the cricket and we’ll miss him at the football. He was a generous man, always helping his family and his community.”
“Our hearts break at the loss of Zoe at such a young age. We know her loss will also devastate her school community and the local Girl Guides, of which she was an active member.”
Gavin Dallow’s wife, Lisa, remains in a critical condition in hospital in Hamilton.
Updated
More Australian victims named
The body of Gavin Dallow from Adelaide has been identified by New Zealand police, according to the family. His 15-year-old step-daughter Zoe Hosking is also presumed dead, with her body still on Whakaari/White Island. Her school, St Aloysius College, has released a statement saying: “The family’s pain and that of their friends and school community are beyond words, yet we cherish all that we have shared with Zoe and her family over 10 years and we believe that one day we will share with Zoe in God’s eternal love.”
Updated
Summary
Here is a summary of what we have heard from police, science and health officials at two press conferences just now.
- Efforts to reach White Island have in effect been called off for Wednesday after GNS Science, New Zealand’s main scientific organisation, said tremors had increased since this morning and there was a “medium likelihood” – a 40-60% chance – of an eruption in the next 24 hours
- Police have said they intend “absolutely to return to that island” but that it can happen only “when there are no risks and the risks can be managed”. Searchers would face “serious physical and chemical hazards”, says John Tims from the New Zealand police.
- 30 patients remain in burns units across New Zealand, 22 of whom still need airway support. One person is being transferred to Sydney later today. Doctors are close to full identification of all patients.
- Health officials require 120 square metres of skin to treat victims, highlighting the severity of the burns injuries. This has been ordered from the United States. Australia has already provided one square metre.
- The Australian Defence Force will soon be arriving to repatriate injured Australians, with one due to arrive in Sydney later today.
- Tims defended the decision not to allow rescuers to return to the island on Monday, but says it was made “at a local level”.
- The alert level remains at three, on a scale of increasing activity of one to five.
The press conferences have finished up. We will provide a summary of the new information shortly.
Watson says 22 of the 30 patients in hospital still need airway support. The nature of the burns suffered is complicated by the gases and chemicals in the eruption. This has necessitated more rapid treatment than is normally the case for thermal-only burns, he says.
He gives a breakdown of the number of patients at each hospital:
- Eight at Christchurch hospital
- Seven patients are at Middlemore hospital in Auckland,
- Six at Waikato hospital
- Four at Hutt hospital near Wellington,
- Two at Auckland city hospital,
- Two at Tauranga base hospital,
- One at Wellington hospital. That person is in the process of being transferred to Sydney.
There are 30 patients in burns units across New Zealand – one person is being transferred to Sydney later today. Doctors have “almost” completed full identification of who they are, says Dr Peter Watson, chief medical officer at Counties Manukau.
Lots of information coming through at multiple press conferences. We will circle back soon with a summary of all the fresh information.
We will switch now from the press conference in Wellington to one being held by health officials in Auckland.
The squeamish may want to look away now. They say that due to the scale of burns they’re dealing with, they require 120 square metres of skin. This has been ordered from the United States.
Ashley Bloomfield from the Ministry of Health speaks next. He says operating theatres are working 24 hours a day to treat the injured.
He says doctors now have “an almost complete picture” of who is who in hospitals, after early challenges because of the extent of the burns injuries.
Tims is defending the decision not to allow rescuers to return to the island on Monday. He says it was made “at a local level”.
There have been various media reports today quoting helicopter pilots who rescued injured tourists before emergency services prevented searchers from returning to White Island. Some of those pilots claim they could have returned safely to pick up more people.
When asked if he can confidently say that searchers can return to the island at all given the worsening conditions, Tims says: “Those families and friends absolutely deserve” closure. It’s “my absolute intent” to return to the island, he says.
He also apologises for incorrectly saying yesterday that a criminal investigation was underway when it was not. A coroner’s investigation is underway, and one by the workplace safety agency WorkSafe.
Disaster victim identification specialists are standing by to identify bodies, Tims says. Police will release the names of the missing shortly, with details to be published online.
The Australian Defence Force will soon be arriving to repatriate injured Australians, he says.
Leonard’s assessment is echoed by John Tims from the New Zealand police.
He says his intent is “absolutely to return to that island” but that it can happen only “when there are no risks and the risks can be managed.”
“We are confident in our ability to manage the rescue operation,” but only once they know they can manage the dangers, he said. Searchers would face “serious physical and chemical hazards”, he says.
Graham Leonard from GNS science is speaking now. He says conditions on the island are worsening, and that it would be challenging for breathing, seeing or walking on the disaster site.
There is a risk of another eruption like Monday’s eruption – there’s a 40-60% chance of that happening in the next 24 hours, up from 30-50% yesterday.
Sarah Stuart-Black, a spokesperson for New Zealand’s civil defence ministry, is speaking now. She says a recovery operation has not been possible today due to conditions on the island.
New Zealand’s immigration agency is helping with visas for families arriving in New Zealand. (More information can be found at immigration.govt.nz).
Families from overseas are expected to start arriving in Whakatāne, the town where White Island is located, today.
It is an “absolute imperative” to retrieve the bodies, Stuart-Black says. Every day that passes without that happening is a “day of anguish” for the families.”
“However, the preservation of human life and the prevention of further human harm must be taken into account,” Stuart-Black says. The scientific data stipulates that the risk is too high, she says.
Medical supplies have been arriving from Australia to help treat the injured, including one square metre of skin.
Stefan Poniatowski, the head of the Donor Tissue Bank of Victoria, says it received an urgent request from the New Zealand Blood Service on Tuesday, and sent the tissue.
He said the number of people that could be treated depended on the severity of their injuries. It could be anywhere from two or three, to up to 10.
New Zealand’s chief medical officer, Dr Pete Watson, said on Tuesday that 27 of the 31 people injured in the eruption had burns to more than 30% of their body.
Kelly says: “It’s important to remember Whakaari/White Island is New Zealand’s most active volcano, and there remains significant uncertainty about any future activity.”
The alert level remains at three, on a scale of increasing severity of one to five.
'Medium likelihood' of fresh eruption in next 24 hours
GNS Science, New Zealand’s main scientific organisation, has issued an update on conditions on the island. Volcanologist Craig Miller says tremors have increased since this morning and there is a “medium likelihood” – a 40-60% chance – of an eruption in the next 24 hours.
We have heard earlier that it is believed the bodies of eight people remain on the island but retrieval efforts have been hampered by volcanic activity and weather conditions.
Family 'united in grief'
A friend of Julie and Jessica Richards, the first Australians to be named as victims of the disaster, has said the family are “united in grief” after receiving a call from New Zealand police this morning.
John Mickel said the family wished the mother and daughter to be remembered as “outdoor and adventurous people”. “They really loved the cruise atmosphere but more particularly they loved the adventurism that went with all the outdoor sports.”
Jessica was a promising AFL player and was studying at the University of Queensland.
Mickel said the family had just celebrated an 85th birthday and that the upcoming festive season “will be one of deep poignancy”.
Updated
Messages and tributes to all the victims of the Whakaari/White Island disaster have been gathering at the harbour in Whakatane. Here is a selection of them:
Jen Eborn, Julie Richards’ sister in law, said on Facebook on Wednesday morning that they had been “praying for a miracle”. Authorities were said to have contacted them this morning.
The pair were listed as missing after the disaster. Julie and Jessica, a student vet, had been on board the Ovation of the Seas and had booked on a tour of the island. They had been due to return home on the weekend.
Australian victims identified
The identities of two Australian victims have been confirmed in multiple media reports, quoting relatives. Julie Richards, 47, and her daughter Jessica, 20, were on the island at the time of the eruption.
The family is expected to give a statement later.
Summary
Hello, Graham Russell here taking over from Martin Farrer. Here is a brief summary of where things stand so far today.
- Emergency authorities are awaiting the all-clear to gain access to Whakaari/White Island, two days after an eruption that has killed at least six people, with a further eight presumed dead.
- The retrieval operation has been hampered by what a “significant increase” in volcanic tremor activity, adding to the frustration of families who have lost relatives.
- Helicopter pilot has described the horrific aftermath of the eruption, seen when he helped fly the injured off the island. He has offered to fly in again to retrieve the eight bodies believed to still be on the volcano.
- Paramedic Rusty Clarke was on a helicopter that flew to White Island. He told RNZ that it looked like a nuclear explosion had taken place. “Looking down on it, I would have to describe it as Chernobyl,” he said. “It was just a complete, absolute whiteout of the area involved.”
- Thirty patients are being cared for in hospitals across New Zealand, of whom 25 are in a critical condition. The burns units of six New Zealand hospitals are at full capacity caring for survivors, and police have said more deaths are likely. The remaining five patients are in a serious but stable condition.
- A reconnaissance drone was successfully launched on Wednesday morning but bad weather may hamper any future recovery mission.
- The Chief Coroner has declared a mass fatality incident and is working with police, disaster specialists, forensic pathologists, and odontologists to identify victims and release them to families.
Priority is welfare of victims, says statement from White Island Tours
Paul Quinn, chairman of White Island Tours, has issued a statement this morning. The company operates daily boat trips to the island and last year it ferried 17,500 people to the volcano. Two of its employees are missing after Monday’s disaster and Quinn’s statement said the recovery of loved ones was of “paramount concern”.
First and foremost, we would like to express our sorrow and offer condolences to those who have lost their loved ones following the eruption on Whakaari / White Island on Monday.
At this stage, recovery of loved ones who are still on the island is of paramount concern and all of our resources including vessels, protection equipment and personnel have been made available to NZ Police and Civil Defence to support the recovery mission.
For Ngāti Awa (tangata whenua of Whakatāne) our responsibility to provide care for our people and visitors during this difficult time is foremost in our minds and actions. We are focussed on wrapping the necessary support around affected families and staff, all of whom are understandably distraught.
Karakia (prayer) services are being held daily to give staff and affected families an opportunity to come together in our grief.
Local liaisons are being appointed to support overseas families who are arriving in Whakatāne. Support packages are being put together today including practical and useful items for those families as they await news and updates on the recovery mission.
We are committed to facilitating family members’ travel and other arrangements while we all await the return of loved ones to their families.
We would like to acknowledge the numerous offers of support from our community and also wider iwi from across the country. Ka nui te mihi ki a koutou katoa.
There are many questions that are left to be answered but our priority at this time is on the welfare of those affected.
Police drone flies reconnaissance over island
Eleanor Aigne Roy has filed this update from Whakatane about a police drone flight over the island today. She also says that facilities have been put in palce at the local airport to deal with the bodies of victims once they are recovered from the island.
In Whakatāne it is a calm, clear day and for the first time police have successfully launched a reconnaissance drone over White Island, from boats stationed 1km of its coast. No further flights today have been reported after the 8.30am mission.
At the local airport a cordon has been erected as the small hub prepares to process eight bodies. The chief coroner has declared the white island disaster a “major fatality incident”, and after landing in Whakatane, bodies will then be transported to Auckland mortuary for forensic examination and formal identification.
The area around the wharf and local marae has now become a no-go zone for media, and the situation at both sites is increasingly tense, with security guards forcing media to leave.
You can also catch up with a piece by our reporter Calla Wahlquist about the scale of the injuries suffered by many of the victims.
Police said today that 25 out of 30 people still in hospital have critical injuries. Calla talked to doctors who said patients had severe burns to their skin from hot gas, ash and debris from the volcano. They also had “quite severe” inhalation burns from sulphur dioxide, methane and other chemicals.
Read her full report here:
Our New Zealand correspondent, Eleanor Aigne Roy, is in Whakatane and has filed a report on the press conference earlier today in which police explained their cautious approach to recovering victims from the island.
Acting assistant police commissioner Bruce Bird said: “Those deploying to the island will likely encounter serious physical and chemical hazards, for which we must be prepared.”
Here is her report:
Police caution about the recovery of bodies victims presumed dead on the island were slightly contradicted by Mark Law, the helicopter pilot who helped in the initial rescue efforts (see this blog post).
He told New Zealand TV this morning – albeit before the GeoNet warning about increased tremor activity – that conditions had been “favourable” and that an operation could be completed in 90 minutes.
“For us, it’s 20 minutes to get out there. We could load those folks on and be back here in an hour and a half,” Law told the AM show on Three television. “I know where they all are, and the conditions are perfect for recovery in my mind.”
Lisa Dallow, the Adelaide woman who was listed as missing, has been found alive overnight in a hospital in New Zealand.
Dallow, 48, an engineer with the resources company Santos, is being treated for severe burns in Hamilton.
She was visiting the island with her partner Gavin Dallow, 53, and her 15-year-old daughter, Zoe Hosking. They are still unaccounted for.
In a statement on Tuesday issued when she was still missing, Santos said she was avery well respected engineer and a good friend to many”.
The employer of Australian engineer, Lisa Dallow, who this evening was located in hospital with critical injuries, say she is a “very well respected engineer and a good friend to many.“ Ms Dallow’s daughter and partner remain missing. @SBSNews #NZVolcano pic.twitter.com/qC67oMzsnx
— Abbie O'Brien (@AOBrien_news) December 10, 2019
Our reporter in Whakatane, Stephen D’Antal, has filed a gripping piece about the helicopter pilot who rescued 12 victims from the island on Monday.
Mark Law described a scene of horror as he and a colleague, Jason Hill, landed their aircrafts on the ash-covered terrain.
We both landed in the centre of the island where we felt it was OK. It was ashing but we could deal with it. We went to assess everyone. We were moving around tending to people who were in real distress. We wanted to reassure them. We found people dead, dying and alive but in various states of unconsciousness.
Read Stephen’s full report here.
Volcanic activity has 'significantly increased'
The police warning about the dangers of searching for victims on the island were reinforced shortly after the press conference by an update from GeoNet, the NZ agency that gathers volcano data, which noted increased activity since 4am local time.
GeoNet also said eruptions were “likely” to occur within the next 24 hours.
Whakaari/White Island eruption update: Latest Volcanic Alert Bulletin available on our website now. Volcanic tremor has significantly increased overnight indicating that volcanic gas pressures remain high. https://t.co/3X3bIqAvdl
— GeoNet (@geonet) December 10, 2019
“The level of volcanic tremor has significantly increased at the island,” GeoNet said. “This has been accompanied by vigorous steaming and localised mud jetting in several of the craters created by the eruption on Monday.
“We interpret these signals as evidence of continued high gas pressures within the volcano.”
GeoNet’s alert warning for the island is at three, which indicates a “minor volcanic eruption” is likely.
Good morning and welcome to the live blog on the White Island volcano tragedy.
The main developments today include a press conference given in Whakatane earlier this morning by chief coroner Judge Deborah Marshall and acting assistant police commissioner Bruce Bird.
- Of the 30 people being treated in hospitals across New Zealand, 25 of them are in a critical condition. Another three were discharged from hospital.
- Six people have now been confirmed dead and the other eight of the 47 people who were on the island are still missing.
- Police say they cannot name the deceased victims because they have to go through a “stringent” identification process while carrying out the postmortems
- Bird said it was still too dangerous to go onto the island to search for bodies. Police said on Tuesday that no one left on the island could have survived.
- Volcanic activity has “significantly increased” on the island this morning, GeoNet says.
- An Australian woman who was reported missing has been found alive in a hospital in Hamilton. Lisa Dallow is being treated for severe burns.
