Trapped in the Volcano
The extraordinary efforts of ordinary people to rescue the victims of the White Island disaster
The White Island Volcano eruption in December 2019 claimed the lives of 23 people. Despite extraordinary stories of heroism in the rescue effort, could more have been done to prevent this awful loss of life?
Terrified members of a boat trip to the New Zealand island watched on as a tower of smoke plumed from the mouth of the Volcano. It was not until they reached land that they realised the true horror of the situation. “Their skin just dripped off them like wax”, recounts a trained first-aider. Tour guide Hayden Marshall-Inman, who laid down his own life to stay behind and continue the rescue effort, is remembered fondly by his brother. “Hayden would always be the last man standing.” As time passes, grief has turned to anger. The victims' families are now building a judicial case against Royal Caribbean Cruises, claiming they did “absolutely nothing” to warn of the risks of a deadly eruption.
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