In 2019, a volcano off the coast of New Zealand erupted while dozens of tourists and tour guides were on the island. White Island – also known by its Māori name Whakaari – is an active stratovolcano situated 30 miles from the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island.
It is also New Zealand’s most active cone volcano, having continually erupted from December 1975 until September 2000, with eruptions also recorded in 2012 and 2016. Despite this, the roughly 800-acre island was a popular tourist destination, with access granted to several designated tour operators.
But it is a deadly eruption three years ago which has been recalled in new Netflix documentary, The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari. Directed by Rory Kennedy, the feature length documentary recounts the eruption itself and its aftermath, and hears from survivors and those involved in the rescue operation.
READ MORE: What the inflation rate drop means for cost of living, interest rates and your bills
At 2.11pm on December 9, 2019, the volcano on White Island erupted as a release of steam and volcanic gases caused an explosion, launching rock and ash thousands of feet into the air. 47 people were on the island at the time, including tourists and tour guides from Australia, America, New Zealand, Germany, China, Britain and Malaysia.
A webcam on the island captured hikers walking inside the crater just one minute before the volcano erupted. On the day of the eruption, New Zealand police confirmed five people had died while eight were missing.
Other tour operators in the area attempted to rescue those on the island almost immediately following the eruption before it was declared too dangerous. Three commercial helicopters also conducted rescue missions after noticing the eruption from the mainland.
Discover, learn, grow. We are Curiously. Follow us on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
In total, 34 people were rescued from the island on the day of the eruption, with the vast majority suffering severe burns and taken to hospitals in New Zealand and Australia for treatment. In the days and weeks that followed, the death toll rose as those rescued succumbed to their injuries in hospital, while more bodies were recovered from the island.
By January 2020, there were 21 confirmed fatalities as an Australian and an American man died as a result of their injuries, and two bodies that were never recovered were declared dead. On July 2, 2020, almost seven months after the eruption, New Zealand’s 1 News reported a German man had died due to medical complications while receiving treatment for injuries sustained during the eruption, bringing the final death toll to 22.
Due to the severity of the injuries sustained by those killed in the eruption, identification was carried out by a combination of a pathologist, a forensic dentist, and a fingerprint officer with the aid of descriptions of the victims’ clothing, photos and DNA samples. As a result of the deadly eruption, tour companys are no longer permitted to carry tourists to White Island.
Scenic flights with the White Island Flights tour company – departing daily from New Zealand’s Whakatāne Airport – are still in operation, and are the only way for tourists to legally get a close-up view of the island.
READ NEXT:
