New Zealand volcano: police plan body retrieval on Friday despite eruption risk

New Zealand police have revealed they are in the final stages of planning a body retrieval mission to White Island on Friday morning, despite the volcano being in a higher state of unrest than at any other point since Monday’s eruption.

Deputy commissioner of police John Tims said family were being briefed on the plan on Thursday afternoon and police were hopeful it could get underway in the morning.

GNS volcanologist Graham Leonard said the volcano’s state of unrest had increased and there was now a 50-60% chance of another eruption in the next 24 hours. Despite this, police would make an attempt to land on the island. Leonard refused to say whether he would have done the same, and said GNS have declined from advising police whether they should proceed, instead providing only factual assistance.

Sarah Stuart Black from the national disaster response centre said police had made their own decision to mount an operation, and only police officers would be involved in the effort. “This is a police decision, at the end of the day, this will be their decision and I will support them in that decision,” said Black.

Police have told a closed meeting they know the location of seven of the eight bodies on the island, and they will need specialist breathing equipment and more than 30 minutes to retrieve them so evidence was preserved.

Mike Clements, the deputy commissioner of national operations, said police had been facing increasing pressure from families to retrieve the bodies, and there was a very real risk another eruption could mean they would be lost forever.

Judy Turner, the mayor of Whakatāne, said families were growing “desperate” and frustrated at the wait. She said: “While we fully appreciate the need for the safety of any recovery team going onto Whakaari / White Island to retrieve our loved ones, we are now living with a growing sense of desperation to bring home those we know are there and those we love.”

Police minister Stuart Nash acknowledged that communication between authorities and families was “not as good as it could have been”, and a new process was now in place to keep families abreast of all developments.

“We will brief them on operational details,” Nash said at a press conference in Whakatāne. “I absolutely understand their frustration”

On the ground in Whakatāne, residents expressed mixed reactions to the police plan.

Wayne Winiata, 69, a local osteopath, said it was odd that police had waited all week to retrieve the bodies, and then decided to go when the risk was highest.

“It will be nice to have them back, but the safety thing for the people that are actually alive, that’s what I am worried about,” said Winiata. “Are we rushing? That’s the question. For something that we can’t change. Those people are already gone.”

Hiko Merito, 25, said she “desperately wanted everyone to come home” and criticised the police for waiting until Friday. “I hope it doesn’t upset White Island too much to blow again,” said Merito, who lost a friend in the disaster.

“They shouldn’t have gone on there in the first place. It’s good to watch her from afar, not to actually step on sacred ground.”

The plan for the police operation came as it emerged two more people had died from injuries sustained during the eruption. A total of 16 people are believed to have died, with 14 confirmed deaths of Australian citizens or permanent residents. A New Zealander, tour guide Hayden Marshall-Inman, has also died.

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Clements said the emergency response team were locked away in Whakatāne designing a range of scenarios to attempt a retrieval, and had brought two local helicopter pilots on board to help with the mission. Both pilots were instrumental in the rescue of 12 survivors on Monday, and know the location of the bodies.

Clements said those charged with leading the recovery had never been on White Island, so were taking close advice from local operators who had worked on the Island for decades.

The likelihood of an eruption is between 50-60% within the next 24 hours, which is the highest risk level the Island has been at since at least 2016.

“The probability of an eruption is still very high,” said GNS scientist Nico Fournier, who said he was unable to predict the state of the volcano more than 24 hours ahead of time.

The Australian department of foreign affairs and trade confirmed that 28 Australian citizens or permanent residents were caught up in the disaster.

Ten citizens and one permanent resident were presumed dead or missing. This included people who died on the island and whose bodies were brought back to the mainland as well as those thought to still be on the island. Three people, including two permanent residents and one citizen known to be Coffs Harbour man Jason Griffiths, were brought to hospital but died of their injuries.

Five citizens had left New Zealand for medical evacuation to Australian hospitals. Another seven citizens and one permanent resident were expected to be airlifted later on Thursday.

One citizen is expected to remain at the New Zealand hospital where they are currently being treated.

If the volcano remained in a heightened state of activity for days or weeks, Clements acknowledged police had to consider retrieving the bodies anyway, even if the rushed rescue would potentially destroy some evidence. If that plan was acted on, families would be consulted first.

“There won’t be a person in the room who has more passion about going onto that island than police staff – I give that commitment to this community, to those whanau [family], I know everybody is watching,” Clements said.

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“So the options will range from get in quick, uplift the bodies and get out as quickly as you can so that makes sense to everybody right? But there is a tradeoff for that.”

Clements said if a quick operation was mounted, important physical evidence could be lost and police would get “no thanks” from the coroner who was tasked with formally identifying the bodies.

“If we reach a situation at the end of this where we can’t confirm identities, that would absolutely be a poor outcome for us, we’re aiming to repatriate all of the deceased to their families in a way that there is conclusive proof of their identity.”

Clements said the helicopter pilots who had rescued 12 survivors “acted in the moment” and their work was heroic and deserving of praise and formal recognition, but police did not have that option, and had to carefully weigh up the risks of retrieval.