Whakaari/White Island eruption: Police know where six bodies are on island

Thursday, 12 December 2019

Police say they know where the bodies of six people are on Whakaari/White Island - but the location of two other bodies is unknown.

Deputy Commissioner Mike Clement said a team made up of police officers, New Zealand Defence Force staff and other agencies would attempt to recover six bodies from Whakaari/White Island at first light on Friday.

'We know exactly where they are, those six people,' he said.

However a lot had to go right to make the recovery plan work.

* Whakaari/White Island: Government turns down family request to retrieve body

On the afternoon of Monday December 9, 2019 Whakaari White Island erupted while tours were in progress, killing 22 people and injuring 25.

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* Multiple casualties, multiple victims: Man who flew last survivor off Whakaari/White Island speaks**

People going to the island would be protected by the equipment they would be wearing and had specialist skills, he said.

'They will make every effort to recover all of the bodies and return them to HMNZS Wellington and from there, we will move those bodies back to the mainland.'

But there were risks to the plan and things beyond the team's control such as the mountain, the volcano, the weather and other environmental factors.

A satellite image taken on December 11 by Maxar Technologies shows steam rising from the volcano.

'I expect as the morning progresses we will get a clear sense whether the plan I've talked to you about is going to work.

'A lot has to go right for this to work.'

Deputy Commissioner Mike Clement says a team made up of police officers, New Zealand Defence Force staff and other agencies would attempt to recover six bodies from Whakaari/White Island at first light on Friday.

However, 'no careless loss of life is going to make the situation better', he said.

Whakatāne Hospital health professional describes patients' injuries.

There would be limited opportunity to look around for two other bodies and if the team could not find them, they would leave, Clement said.

The priority was to get the bodies off first and quickly.

Families of those who were killed had offered 'overwhelming support' for the recovery plan, he said.

When asked by Stuff what plans were in place if an eruption occurred on Friday, Clement said staff would be wearing protective equipment and GNS scientists would be on hand offering advice.

'We've been careful not to make sure the plan is so inflexible that we can't deal with anything that emerges in front of us.'

Clement gave the final approval for the recovery plan but the New Zealand Defence Force would make tactical decisions on Whakaari/White Island on Friday.

'We understand the expectations from everybody … Of course I'm worried, I would be inhuman if I wasn't worried.'

Police Commissioner Mike Bush would be in Whakatāne on Friday.