By: Andrew de Koeyer | Staff Editor
December 12, 2019
At 2:11 on December 9th, tourists visiting New Zealand’s White Volcano experienced the unthinkable. Ash and toxic gas erupted 12,000 feet in the air, raining devastation down on those on and around the island. The New Zealand government has confirmed the deaths of eight individuals, with five more missing and suspected to be dead. Additionally, 31 people were sent to the hospital to be treated for burns and smoke inhalation.
The island, which sits 40 kilometers of the North Island, is home to the largest volcano in New Zealand. As one of the country’s most popular tourist attractions, the island brings in tens of thousands of visitors each year to witness the spectacular sight. Tourists pay top dollar for the opportunity to climb into the volcano and experience the thrill of a live volcano. However, some concerning factors have many people asking, why were people allowed to visit the volcano in the first place?
Since September of this year, the volcano has been emitting large amounts of smoke and undergone other notable volcanic activity. This behavior lead to its classification upgrade from a one to a two (out of five) on the scale of volcanic activity. Despite national warnings, companies decided that the volcano was safe enough to continue touring in the interest of the most profitable time of year for tourism in New Zealand. This disregard for human safety has left the country scrambling to decide how to handle this catastrophe.
After conditions were deemed safe a few days later, the government sent in a team of eight elite soldiers in an attempt to locate any survivors and search for the bodies of the victims. The soldiers, dressed in full hazmat gear, landed on the island’s jetti via helicopter and hiked into the pit of the volcano. Six of the bodies were recovered. As rescue missions continue to the island, the New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern mourned with the world and said, “The scale of this strategy is devastating […] our hearts go out to the families of those who are missing, injured, or deceased.”
The New Zealand government has announced that recovery missions are expected to continue on through the week. Furthermore, a formal investigation into the conduct and actions of the tourist companies will take place.
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