New Zealand police open criminal probe into volcano deaths
NEW ZEALAND. Flowers are laid on makeshift memorial in front of cruise ship Ovation of the Seas, in Tauranga, New Zealand, Tuesday, December 10. A volcanic island in New Zealand erupted on Monday, December 9, in a tower of ash and steam while dozens of tourists were exploring the moon-like surface, killing multiple people and leaving many more missing. (AP)
WHAKATANE, New Zealand -- New Zealand police said Tuesday, December 10, they were opening a criminal investigation into the deaths of tourists on a volcanic island where a powerful eruption of ash and scalding steam occurred as dozens of people were exploring the barren landscape.
Five deaths were confirmed after the eruption of the White Island volcano on Monday, December 9. Eight other people are feared dead, but unstable conditions on the island were continuing to hinder a search. Police Deputy Commissioner John Tims did not go into details of the criminal investigation but said it would sit alongside an investigation by health and safety regulators.
The announcement indicates authorities are concerned safety standards may have been breached.
Russell Clark, an intensive care paramedic worker, said the scene looked like the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, “just blanketed in ash."
12 people were killed on the island in 1914 when it was being mined for sulfur. Part of a crater wall collapsed and a landslide destroyed the miners' village and the mine itself.
