Three hours of burns surgery for newlywed
‘‘They were able to take some shelter behind a large rock; 10 minutes – it could have meant life or death for them but luckily they were already down the volcano close to the water, so they sheltered themselves a little bit.’’ Janet Urey survivor Matt Urey’s mother
A new husband on a honeymoon cruise around New Zealand needed three hours of surgery to treat his burns after he was injured in the Whakaari/White Island eruption.
Matt Urey, 36, has extensive injuries and will need more skin grafts and plastic surgery.
His wife, Lauren, is reportedly sedated in a different hospital.
Janet Urey said she had spoken to her son and he was able to talk and was taking fluids and eating jelly.
The couple had been on cruise ship the Ovation of the Seas, and visited the volcano on Monday after the ship docked in Tauranga.
Ohio-based TV station WFMJ.com’s 21 News spoke to Janet Urey before she boarded a plane at Pittsburgh International Airport to head to New Zealand on a flight arranged by Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.
She said Matt’s worst burns were on his hands but he was burnt pretty much everywhere, including his abdomen, back, legs and his chin.
21 News said Lauren, 32, was in a different hospital, and reportedly sedated and intubated.
Both newlyweds will need more surgery.
Lauren called her parents hours before visiting White Island, telling them how excited the couple were about their action-packed day.
‘‘She said they were going to the volcano,’’ Lauren’s mother, Barbara Barham, told The Washington Post.
‘‘My husband was joking around and said: I hope it is not a live volcano.’’
Urey said Matt told her he and Lauren had just come down from the volcano’s crater when it erupted and they were able to shelter behind a large rock.
‘‘They were able to take some shelter behind a large rock; 10 minutes – it could have meant life or death for them but luckily they were already down the volcano close to the water, so they sheltered themselves a little bit.
‘‘They already had been provided with respirators so they did not breathe in all the ash.’’
Matt’s burns were ‘‘a little worse than we had hoped’’.
Eight people are confirmed to have died after the eruption, while another eight are presumed to be dead on the island.