Back ثوران الجزيرة البيضاء/واكاري 2019 Arabic Vulkanausbruch auf White Island 2019 German Erupción de Isla Whakaari/White de 2019 Spanish فوران آتشفشانی جزیره سفید (۲۰۱۹) Persian Letusan Whakaari/White Island 2019 ID Eruzione del vulcano Whakaari / White Island del 9 dicembre 2019 Italian 2019 Whakaari / White Island eruption SIMPLE Pagputok ng Whakaari/White Island ng 2019 Tagalog Núi lửa Whakaari phun trào 2019 Vietnamese 2019年紐西蘭懷特島火山爆發 Chinese

2019 Whakaari / White Island eruption

2019 Whakaari / White Island eruption
Whakaari / White Island, nine minutes after the eruption
VolcanoWhakaari / White Island
Date9 December 2019 (2019-12-09)[1]
Start time14:11 NZDT (01:11 UTC)
TypePhreatic eruption
LocationBay of Plenty, North Island, New Zealand
37°31′12″S 177°10′57″E / 37.52000°S 177.18250°E / -37.52000; 177.18250
VEI2[1]
ImpactFatalities: 22 (including 2 who are missing, declared dead)[2]
Injuries: 25

On 9 December 2019, Whakaari / White Island, an active stratovolcano island in New Zealand's northeastern Bay of Plenty region, explosively erupted.[3] The island was a popular tourist destination, known for its volcanic activity, and 47 people were on the island at the time. Twenty-two people died, either in the explosion or from injuries sustained, including two whose bodies were never found and were later declared dead. A further 25 people suffered injuries, with the majority needing intensive care for severe burns.[4] Continuing seismic and volcanic activity, together with heavy rainfall, low visibility and the presence of toxic gases, hampered recovery efforts over the week following the incident.[5][6][7]

Experts identified the event as a phreatic eruption: a release of steam and volcanic gases that caused an explosion, launching rock and ash into the air.[8]

Following the eruption, investigations resulted in WorkSafe New Zealand charging the owners of the island and multiple tour operators as well as government and scientific agencies under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 for failing to ensure the health and safety of workers and others.[9] As of July 2023, the charges against two government agencies have been dismissed or dropped and five tour operators have pleaded guilty to health and safety charges. The trial of six remaining defendants (three individual owners of the island and three tour operating companies) commenced on 11 July 2023.[10] In early September 2023, Judge Evangelos Thomas dismissed the individual charges against the island's owners Peter, Andrew, and James Buttle but upheld the charges against their company Whakaari Management Limited (WML).[11] On 12 September, Thomas dismissed the charges against co-defendants Tauranga Tourism Services (TTSL) and ID Tours, reducing the number of defendants to one.[12] On 31 October, WML was convicted of one health and safety charge relating to the eruption.[13]

On 1 March 2024, Judge Thomas imposed a total of NZ$10.21 million in reparations and NZ$2 million in fines on the six defendants Whakaari Management Limited, White Island Tours, Volcanic Air Safaris, Kahu Limited, Aerius, and GNS Science.[14][15]

  1. ^ a b "White Island". Global Volcanism Program. Archived from the original on 13 September 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference auto4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Live: White Island erupting: Plumes of smoke, reports of multiple injuries in Bay of Plenty". The New Zealand Herald. 9 December 2019. ISSN 1170-0777. Archived from the original on 9 December 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  4. ^ "New Zealand volcano: Divers deployed to find last two missing bodies". 13 December 2019. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  5. ^ "New volcanic activity slows NZ recovery efforts". BBC News. 11 December 2019. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  6. ^ "Helicopter pilot says rain and ash are hampering search for bodies of White Island victims". TVNZ. Archived from the original on 15 December 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  7. ^ "Six days after volcanic eruption in New Zealand's White Island, toxic gases, low visibility hamper search for victims". Firstpost. Associated Press. 15 December 2019. Archived from the original on 15 December 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  8. ^ "The science of the White Island eruption: A catastrophic burst of steam". Stuff. 10 December 2019. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference :5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Williams, Amy (11 July 2023). "Whakaari/White Island trial: What you need to know". Radio New Zealand. Archived from the original on 16 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  11. ^ Stanford, Emma (5 September 2023). "Whakaari / White Island: Charges against owners dismissed". Radio New Zealand. Archived from the original on 8 September 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  12. ^ Tahana, Yvonne; Lane, Jordan (12 September 2023). "More charges dismissed as WorkSafe's Whakaari case breaks down". 1 News. TVNZ. Archived from the original on 12 September 2023. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  13. ^ Walton, Felix (31 October 2023). "Whakaari/ White Island trial: Whakaari Management convicted of one health and safety charge relating to fatal eruption". Radio New Zealand. Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  14. ^ Ferguson, Sharon (1 March 2024). "Whakaari: Judge says 'world is watching' as sentences handed down". 1 News. TVNZ. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  15. ^ "Brother of guide killed on Whakaari/White Island says sentencing 'bittersweet'". Radio New Zealand. 1 March 2024. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.

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