Whakaari/White Island: Australian victim Krystal Browitt an 'absolutely gorgeous girl'
Saturday, 14 December 2019
Australian Krystal Browitt has been formally identified as among the bodies which were recovered from Whakaari/White Island on Friday, as professional diving teams continue to scour contaminated waters surrounding the volcano for two missing people.
Browitt, who had just celebrated her 21st birthday, was on Saturday afternoon named by police as a victim of last Monday's eruption joining Coffs Harbour man Jason Griffiths, who died in hospital last week, as the two Australians to be confirmed dead by authorities.
Another 12 Australian citizens and residents are officially listed as missing or presumed dead.
Police on Saturday night said the official death toll was 15, following the death of a person who was being treated for severe burns at Waikato Hospital.
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Browitt's sister Stephanie and her father Paul are believed to be fighting for their lives in The Alfred hospital's burns unit in Melbourne, receiving treatment for severe injuries they suffered in the blast.
The Browitt family from Craigieburn in Melbourne's north were on the Ovation of the Seas cruise ship which left Sydney on December 4 for a pre-Christmas trip across the Tasman.
Wife Marie decided to stay aboard the cruise ship while Paul and their two daughters visited the volcano site on a day trip. She is now maintaining a bedside vigil.
Browitt's high school principal from Kolbe Catholic College remembered her as a 'much-loved member of the Kolbe community that her teachers describe as a beautiful soul'.
Philomena Russo, a family friend of the Browitts, said those who knew the family were deeply devastated by the news.
'I've known Krystal and her family as my son has been very close friends of hers since year 7 in high school,' she said. 'Krystal was an absolutely gorgeous girl and whenever she would see me she would run up to me and give me a big hug and kiss.
'Her very close group of friends are absolutely devastated at this time as they have all been friends for a very long time.'
Another family friend, who requested not to be named, said Marie was living a nightmare.
'Questions like, 'What do you need?' are met with, 'I need my family alive'. How do you respond to that?' the friend said on Friday.
A GoFundMe page set up by a family friend had raised more than A$50,000 for the Browitts by Saturday afternoon and a fundraising event will be held next Friday.