White Island volcano body retrieval mission begin on Friday despite chance of eruption

A daring mission to retrieve eight bodies from White Island began at first light – despite a 60 per cent chance the deadly volcano will erupt again. 

A team of eight specialist soldiers from the New Zealand Defence Force landed on the island on Friday morning, risking their lives to recover the bodies of six Australians and two of their countrymen, four days after Monday’s tragic blast. 

The bodies on the island are believed to belong to local tour guides Hayden Marshall-Inman and Tipene Maangi and Australian tourists Krystal Browitt, Richard Elzer, Karla Matthews, Julie Richards, Jessica Richards and Zoe Hosking.

But others, including married couple Martin and Barbara Hollander, as well as Anthony Langford, his wife Kristine and their daughter Winona, remain unaccounted for.

The bodies are believed to be laying about 300 metres from the crater, within 200 square metres, in small clusters and buried under about one metre of ash. 

A haka was performed from the shore as helicopters began sweeping over the island at 5.30am, local time, on Friday. 

Family members of the victims have gathered at the Whakatāne wharf carrying flowers and balloons as they await for the bodies of their loved ones to be returned home.

The dangerous mission comes as New Zealand’s geological monitoring agency, GNS Science, upgraded the chance of an eruption in the next 24 hours to between 50 and 60 per cent.  

GNS Science volcanologist Graham Leonard released risk assessment maps showing another eruption was increasingly likely amid Friday’s retrieval.  

‘Whakaari/White Island is an active volcano, and the estimated chance of an eruption is increasing every day,’ Dr Leonard said.

‘Today is less safe than yesterday, and the day before that.’

‘The red zone shows an area that would be considered a no-go for GNS Science staff, and the yellow zone would only be accessible in exceptional circumstances.’

Mr Leonard said the information had been handed to New Zealand police to ensure the safety of their team.

New Zealand police deputy commissioner Mike Clement said ‘we have a plan’ when confirming the operation would go ahead.  

‘The team has been working tirelessly throughout the day as I promised they would,’ Mr Clement said.

‘Shortly after first light tomorrow, NZDF assets, people and capabilities will deploy to the island.

‘Assisted by specialist capabilities from other agencies including New Zealand Police, they will go onto the island and they will make every effort to recover all of the bodies from the island and return them.’

But the commissioner was quick to reiterate the fragility of the expedition.  

‘Let there be no mistake, it is not a zero-risk game and people are putting themselves on the front line to do the right thing,’ he said.

‘Of course I’m worried, I’d be inhuman if I wasn’t worried.’ 

Eight soldiers travelled to the island via helicopter stationed on a nearby navy vessel, the HMNZS Wellington.

It is expected to take about 15 minutes to walk from the shore to the region where the retrieval would take place.

If all goes well, the bodies will then be transported to the mainland.

Mr Clement confirmed their surveillance had only spotted six bodies, despite believing their are eight people missing.  

‘We know exactly where (the six) are. So our first priority will be to get those six people,’ he said.

‘We can’t find anything more than six. That’s not to say they aren’t there.

‘We will have very limited opportunity to look about for one or two others.’ 

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.’

GNS also said current monitoring showed the appearance of shallow magma beneath the vent.   

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 in Whakatane, 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.

The death toll of Australians killed in the tragedy rose to nine on Thursday morning after Sydney brothers Berend Hollander, 16, and Matthew, 13, were both confirmed dead.

The teenage boys, who both attended the prestigious Knox Grammar school, were travelling with their parents Martin and Barbara – who are both still missing.

Jason Griffiths, 33, from Coffs Harbour, NSW, died from his injuries on Wednesday after being taken to hospital in critical condition. 

He had been travelling with couple Karla Mathews, 32, and Richard Elzer, 32, who were identified as those still on the island and are now dead, friends said. 

Zoe Hosking, 15, and stepfather Gavin Dallow, 53, from Adelaide, were also killed in the disaster, the family’s spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Mr Dallow’s body was identified by police from the five bodies recovered from the island, but Zoe’s remains are still there and she is presumed dead.

The two were on a tour of White Island on Monday with the girl’s mother Lisa Hosking, 48, when the eruption occurred.

Ms Hosking, a petroleum engineer, is believed to have suffered burns to 60 per cent of her body and is now fighting for her life in hospital.

Her brother David flew in to New Zealand after the disaster and scoured hospitals for the family, eventually finding her.

‘We mourn the loss of Gavin and Zoe. Gavin was a wonderful son and brother,’ a family spokesperson said in a 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.

‘The Dallow family is extremely thankful for the support from relatives, Rotary, the local church community and the broader community.

‘We would also like to acknowledge the assistance received from DFAT , emergency services and the very understanding New Zealand Police.’

Julie Richards, 47, and her daughter Jessica, 20, from Brisbane, were the first two Australians confirmed dead, earlier on Wednesday. 

Krystal Browitt, 21, was on a tour of White Island with her father Paul and sister Stephanie when it erupted on Monday. 

She remains unaccounted for and her body is believed to be on the island. 

Ms Browitt’s mother Marie bypassed the tour and stayed aboard Ovation of the Seas.

Meanwhile, Stephanie and her dad have been fighting for their lives and were in induced comas in Auckland and Christchurch hospitals.

On Thursday, Mr Browitt was among those victims who were flown back to Australia for further treatment. 

Sydney parents Martin and Barbara Hollander as well as Sydney family Anthony Langford, 51, his wife Kristine and daughter Winona, 17, are also listed as missing.