tourists describe the horror of the White Island volcano eruption in New Zealand

() — Survivors of one of New Zealand’s worst natural disasters have described the searing pain of being hit by burning sand, ash and rock during a volcanic eruption on Whakaari or White Island in 2019 that killed 22 people.

Their accounts were heard this week during a criminal trial brought by WorkSafe, the country’s health and safety regulator, against six partiesincluding three brothers who own the island, a once-popular tourist destination just 30 miles north of the New Zealand island.

forty-seven people were in Whakaari, the traditional Maori name for the island, at the time of the explosion, including a newlywed couple and some families, who died or suffered severe burns in the incident.

Via video link from Australia, tourist Annie Lu told the court on Thursday that she had booked a trip to the island with her mother after reading about it in a brochure, saying they were not warned until they were on the island that the volcano was at “level two”.

“There was no mention of things being dangerous,” he said.

According to the system New Zealand Six Level Volcano Alertlevel two means “moderate to high volcanic disturbances” with eruption potential.

The tourists were outfitted with helmets and gas masks, but were otherwise not told to wear or bring anything special other than closed-toe shoes and covering clothing, Lu said.

“The impression we were given basically was that it was just a casual day,” Lu said.

But what happened was an ordeal that left Lu with burns over 38% of his body, requiring multiple skin grafts that left scars on the only parts of his body that were not burned.

“I was just burning up”

On the day of the eruption, Lu said her mother noticed a black cloud in the sky and then heard someone yell “everyone, run.”

Video played in court showed huge plumes of ash dwarfing the group of tourists, who had been escorted by tour guides from the jetty, where their boat had docked, to the crater.

Lu said the first gust of wind blew his helmet off, and as he dove for cover behind a rock formation, he held his gas mask to his mouth.

What happened next inflicted waves of almost indescribable pain, Lu said.

“It’s like sand and rocks are being thrown at me everywhere. she hurt. It really hurt,” she said. “I was just on fire. Never before had she felt anything like this. It was like someone heated up some needles until they were hot as iron and then threw it all at you.”

“Think about if you open an oven and the heat just rushes at you. It is something like that, but a thousand times worse, ”she related.

The court listened to a recorded interview Lu gave to police several months after the disaster, and was asked on Thursday to add more details about the aftermath of the eruption.

“There were no clear instructions or plans, everyone just followed the fight or flight instinct and ran straight for the jetty,” he said.

Lu said she went into the water to prevent her shoes from melting into her flesh. Medical care on the ship was “very limited,” she added, and water supplies ran low as people tried to wash ash from their skin.

Lu told the court that the eruption had changed her “physically and mentally”.

Before the disaster, I worked in the fashion industry. After that, she had to take time off to heal and couldn’t come back anymore. “I had a complete career change because, you know, as hard as it sounds, the fashion industry is all about looks,” she said.

a silent black cloud

Earlier, the court heard testimony from American tourists Matthew and Lauren Urey, who were on their honeymoon and booked a trip to the island through Royal Caribbean Cruises.

Matthew Urey said the sea was very rough during the small boat ride to the island, and many passengers became seasick. He said tourists were told the volcano’s activity level was high, which meant they couldn’t go to some areas of the island.

“They mentioned that we would have respirators for our comfort. That was all I remember saying about the island while we were on the ship,” she said. “They may have given a couple other pieces of information, but I don’t remember anything specific.”

On the island, Urey said the guides led his group to the rim of the crater, where they spent about 10 minutes before slowly walking back.

“I remember someone yelled ‘look’ and I looked up and saw a very large black cloud coming out of the volcano. And that’s when they told us to run,” she said.

Lauren Urey said the billowing black cloud was silent, but as she and her husband hid behind a rock they heard a “loud crash” as the volcano erupted and then “screams for help and screams of agony,” she said in his testimony.

Matthew Urey said he found it difficult to breathe as they were engulfed by heat waves that prosecutors say reached 100 degrees Celsius or more.

“I don’t know if it was steam or hot ash, but it was on us,” he said.

When the sky cleared, the survivors trudged through a thick layer of ash to reach the small inflatable boat docked at the jetty.

“Some people weren’t injured as much as others, so some people were able to get on the boat much easier than others. (Some people) were jumping on it and pushing other people aside,” Lauren Urey said.

Since that day, the couple have had multiple surgeries and skin grafts.

“We wanted to have two children, but now I am considered high risk if I choose to have children,” Lauren Urey said. “So this has impacted me, my husband and our families far beyond our physical injuries,” she told the court.

Images of Matthew Urey’s injuries inflicted during the Whakaari/White Island eruption. (Credit: Lipcon, Margulies, Alsina and Winkleman PA)

The trial against the tourism companies

The six parties fighting the charges include three brothers who own the island, Andrew, Peter and James Buttle, and their company Whakaari Management Ltd, as well as ID Tours New Zealand Ltd and Tauranga Tourism Services Ltd.

WorkSafe prosecutor Kristy McDonald KC told the court that cruise ship passengers “did not receive health and safety information prior to the start of the tour,” and that WML failed in its duty to care for tourists visiting the island.

By 2019, he said WML was making an annual profit of about NZ$1 million ($640,000) from tourism to the island, but not enough was spent to ensure the facility was safe.

“WML was required to understand the risks of what it was doing. It never bothered to understand the risks correctly,” he said.

The Buttle brothers and WML deny the charges. In another court hearing seeking to have the charges dismissed, the Buttles’ attorney, David Neutzesaid the brothers had little control over the tours, according to affiliate Radio New Zealand.

Five organizations have already pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing, including Volcanis Air Safaris, Aerius, Kahu NZ and White Island Tours.

New Zealand’s science agency, GNS, pleaded guilty to one charge of failing to consult with helicopter pilots about the risks, and one charge was dismissed.

Luxury charter operator Inflite pleaded guilty last year and was fined NZ$227,500 ($145,000) plus court costs. The charges carry a maximum fine of NZ$1.5 million (US$950,000).

The trial is expected to last 16 weeks.