Toxic air and gases hamper search

A search has failed to locate the bodies of the last two victims of a volcano eruption in New Zealand last Monday that claimed the lives of at least 16 people, most of whom were tourists.

New Zealand police confirmed the 16th victim died on Saturday at Sydney’s Concord Hospital, one of several Australian hospitals where survivors suffering from severe burns were being treated.

Two four-person teams landed on the volcanic White Island by helicopter early yesterday and searched a location thought to be where one of the bodies might be.

The teams were wearing heavy protective clothing due to the toxic air and gases present on the island as a result of the eruption.

Their breathing apparatus allowed them to search for only 75 minutes.

The searchers were unable to locate either body and returned to the mainland where they underwent decontamination.

New Zealand Police national operations commander John Tims said the search will continue.

“We have always anticipated recovering all bodies from the island, and we remain deeply committed to that goal, to allow families some closure,” he said.

“We are now debriefing, reassessing and coming up with a new plan.”

Mr Tims said the process of identifying victims and releasing bodies to their loved ones was ongoing in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city.

“We will continue to release the names of those who have died as soon as we are able to,” he said.

Five victims have so far been named, four of whom are Australian.

The first to be named was Krystal Browitt, a veterinary nursing student from Melbourne, Australia, who turned 21 on November 29.

Divers prepare to search the water near White Island. AP.