Divers work to find last volcano victims

DIVERS have been working in contaminated waters with near zero visibility attempting to find the bodies of two people killed in the White Island eruption in New Zealand.

Police described the conditions – in which a team of nine divers spent yesterday looking for remains previously seen in the area – as “unique and challenging”.

Six bodies were taken off the volcano in a four-hour recovery mission on Friday, with two further bodies still to be recovered.

Deputy Commissioner John Tims, National Operations Commander, said: “The water around the island is contaminated, requiring the divers to take extra precautions to ensure their safety, including using specialist protective equipment.

“Divers have reported seeing a number of dead fish and eels washed ashore and floating in the water. Each time they surface, the divers are decontaminated using fresh water.”

A team of eight from the New Zealand Defence Force started a retrieval operation from the island from first light on Friday, despite ongoing warnings of further activity from the volcano.

The team, wearing protective suits and using breathing apparatus owing to the threat of toxic gases, recovered six bodies which were then transferred via helicopter to a navy ship, the HMNZS Wellington, and taken to Auckland. A seventh body was spotted in water close to the island by rescue teams on Tuesday, the day after the eruption.

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has called for a minute’s silence on Monday at 2.11pm local time, a week on from the eruption.

She said: “Wherever you are in New Zealand or around the world, this is a moment we can stand alongside those who have lost loved ones in this extraordinary tragedy.”