WELLINGTON, Dec. 13 -- The recovery team has retrieved six bodies from New Zealand's White Island volcano despite eruption risks, four days after it erupted.
Efforts are still being made to recover two more bodies, including one that was spotted in the water near the shore of the volcano Island, and the other one is still missing and presumed dead.
At the time of eruption, there were 47 tourists and tour guides on the island, a major scenic spot about 30-minute sailing from the east coast of the North Island.
The six bodies were transported on the HMNZS Wellington, a New Zealand navy vessel, while 15 victims are being treated in burns units nationwide, and 13 Australians having been transferred back to home hospitals.
The recovery brings the official death toll from Monday's eruption to at least 15.
“Today was all about reuniting them with their loved ones,” said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
“We know that reunification won't ease that sense of loss or grief because I don't think anything can. But we felt an enormous duty of care as New Zealanders to make sure that we brought their family members back,” Ardern said.
Police Commissioner Mike Bush told media, "We are very focused on finding the other two and returning them to their loved ones."
Families of the victims attended a sea blessing at sea close to the White Island, 50 km offshore from Whakatane, early Friday morning.
GNS scientist Graham Leonard said the volcanic island in the Eastern Bay of Plenty of New Zealand's North Island is highly volatile at the moment.
According to updated calculations provided by GeoNet volcanologists on Thursday afternoon, there is a 50 percent to 60 percent chance of another eruption occurring that could impact outside of the marked vent area within the next 24 hours.
Since around 4:00 a.m. Wednesday local time, the level of volcanic tremor has significantly increased at the island, said GeoNet on Wednesday.
“I hope the time comes when we can all pay tribute to what they did today, because although the best science and information available was used to try and make sure that we looked after them, there was a huge amount of courage still required to do what they did today,” Arden said, while acknowledging those involved in Friday’s recovery operation.
Two Chinese nationals were among those injured, according to the Chinese embassy in New Zealand.
Ashley Bloomfield, director general of the New Zealand Ministry of Health, said at a press conference on Wednesday that the national multiple complex burn action plan had been activated. Many of the injured tourists are said to have more than 30 percent of body burnt.
The small team of two doctors and six nurses at Whakatane Hospital's emergency department "were confronted with one of the country's largest natural disasters," the hospital said.
"I've never seen this number of critically injured patients coming into an emergency department in a short space of time," Dr. Heike Hundemer, Whakatane Hospital's clinical leader, told the media.
Messages and medical resources have been sent to New Zealand from the United States, Australia and Britain, including skin for grafts. Survivors from Australia have been transferred to Melbourne and Sydney after medical evaluation. Only one Australian patient will remain in a New Zealand hospital by Friday.
The White Island, a volcanic island, is a famous tourist attraction which people can explore by boat or by helicopter. If safety conditions permit, visitors can even enter the main volcano crater.
浙江宁波地区2019七下教学质量检测二
湖北武汉武珞路中2019七上期中模拟题
湖北武汉陆家街中2019七上期中模拟题答案
江苏盐城滨海滨海中2019春英语阅读考级题答案
深圳北环中2019七新生英语入学模拟题
湖北武汉永丰中2019七上期中模拟试题
湖北武汉将军路中2019七上期中模拟试题答案
2019七下英语Unit5 Topic3 Section B试卷
黑龙江铁力桃山林业局子弟中2019英语期末模拟题
2019英语七下Module 12 Unit 1 同步练习题
黑龙江铁力朗乡林业局子弟中七上英语期末模拟题
2019英语七下Unit-8-Topic-2-单词词组情景交际答案()
2019英语七下Unit-8-Topic-2-单词词组情景交际()
江苏连云港西苑中七英语上期末模拟a
湖北武汉二桥中2019七上英语期中模拟题
江苏连云港西苑中七英语期末测试卷模B卷答案
2019牛津沪教版英语七上期末测试卷
湖北武汉陆家街中2019七上期中模拟题
黑龙江铁力第五中2019七上英语期末模拟测题
山东滕州鲍沟中2019七下期末模拟试题二
湖北武汉将军路中2019七上期中模拟试题
湖北武汉育才2019七上英语期中模拟题
2019英语七下Module 12 Unit 1 同步练习题答案
江苏连云港西苑中七英语上期末模拟a答案
山东惠民大年陈中七英语上期中模拟题答案
江苏连云港西苑中七英语期末测试卷模B卷
黑龙江大庆第19中2019七上期末英语模拟题
2019七下英语Unit5 Topic3 Section D检测卷
黑龙江大庆第19中2019七上期末英语模拟题答案
2019人教版七下unit 5核心考点集中练习题2 ()
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |