White Island volcano: what we know about the victims
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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/15/white-island-volcano-what-we-know-about-the-victims Version 4 of 5. The 47 people caught in the blast came from seven different countries. There are 16 confirmed fatalities, with many of the injured still in critical condition There are 16 confirmed victims of the fatal eruption on White Island/Whakaari – 12 Australians, two Australian permanent residents, one American and one New Zealander. Two people – Australian teenager Winona Langford and New Zealand guide Hayden Marshall-Inman, 40 – are still missing despite repeated ground and sea searches. Their bodies are believed to be in the water, police have said. There were 47 people on the island at the time of the eruption, 38 of them from the cruise liner Ovation of the Seas. Those present comprised of 24 people from Australia, nine from the US, two Britons, four Germans, five New Zealanders, two people from China and one from Malaysia. As of Tuesday, there were 14 patients being cared for in four burns units around New Zealand. In the days after the blast, 13 Australians were repatriated to hospitals in their home country, one of whom was confirmed by police to have died at Concord hospital in Sydney. The Australian man’s name was not released at the request of the family. By nationality, this is what we know of those caught up in the disaster. Australia The Browitt family Krystal Browitt, the 21-year-old Melbourne woman missing since the White Island volcano eruption, was the first victim to be identified by police from the six people whose bodies were recovered from the island on Friday. Browitt was on the island with her sister Stephanie and her father Paul when the volcano erupted. Stephanie is in a coma in a New Zealand hospital with her mother, Marie, who stayed on board their cruise ship instead of taking the volcano trip, at her bedside. Paul Browitt is being treated for burns in hospital in Melbourne. The Hollander family The family of Berend Hollander, 16, and his 13-year-old brother Matthew issued a statement saying they were “absolutely heartbroken by this loss”, which was confirmed by New Zealand police on Sunday. Their parents, Martin and Barbara, were on the island with the boys and are also now confirmed to have died. Martin Hollander was an Australian who moved to Chicago with his job. His wife was American and the boys were born in the US but earned permanent residency in Australia when the family moved to Sydney about five years ago. The boys were students at Knox Grammar school in Sydney’s north and died in hospital on Sunday. “Ben and Matthew were wonderfully kind and spirited boys who lived short but very fulsome lives. They loved Knox and all their friends, and the Australian sports and outdoor lifestyle they adopted on moving from the United States six years ago. They had a positive and lasting impact on everyone’s paths they crossed. The family requests privacy at this difficult time,” the statement said. A letter from the Knox principal to parents confirmed the deaths “with the greatest sadness”. Julie Richards and Jessica Richards Julie and Jessica Richards, a mother and daughter aged 47 and 20 respectively from Brisbane, were confirmed as deceased on Wednesday by a family friend. John Mickel said the family wished the mother and daughter to be remembered as “outdoor and adventurous people”. Their deaths have now been confirmed by police. “They really loved the cruise atmosphere but more particularly they loved the adventurism that went with all the outdoor sports.” Julie and Jessica, a student vet, had been on board the Ovation of the Seas and had booked on a tour of the island. The Dallow family Gavin Dallow, 53, and his step-daughter Zoe Hosking, 15, from Adelaide died in the disaster. Gavin’s wife and Zoe’s mother, senior Santos engineer Lisa Dallow, 48, survived and is in a critical condition in Melbourne’s Alfred hospital. A statement from the Dallow family said Gavin was “a wonderful son and brother” and a “generous man”. “I was lucky enough to spend the test match with him, only two days prior to the trip,” said Gavin’s father on Wednesday. “That is something I will hold in my memory for a long time.” “Our hearts break at the loss of Zoe at such a young age,” the family continued. “We know her loss will also devastate her school community and the local Girl Guides.” The Langford family Two members of the Langford family from Sydney’s north shore are now confirmed to have died in the disaster. Anthony Langford, 51, was one of the Australians named by New Zealand police on Sunday while it was confirmed on Monday that his wife, Kristine, 45, had also perished. Their son Jesse, 19, is being treated for his injuries in hospital. Their 17-year-old daughter, Winona, 17, is one of the two victims who is still missing. Richard Elzer, Karla Matthews and Jason Griffiths The loss of three friends from the New South Wales town of Coffs Harbour – Karla Matthews, Richard Elzer and Jason Griffiths – was confirmed by their travelling companions on Wednesday. “We are incredibly saddened to have lost three of our closest friends,” their friends Alex, Daniel, Ellie, Leanne, Paul and Samantha said in a statement issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Griffiths died in hospital after suffering burns to 80% of his body in the eruption while Mathews was confirmed on Sunday by police to have been one of the victims recovered from the island on Friday. Elzer is also thought to be among those recovered. The deaths of Griffiths and Elzer were not confirmed until Monday and Tuesday respectively. Nick London and Marion London The son of Nick and Marion London, Matt, told the Sydney Morning Herald that his parents faced a long road to recovery after receiving burns to more than 50% of their bodies. The Londons were transferred to a Sydney hospital in a critical condition in the days following the disaster, and their son said they were also battling internal chemical burns from the breathing in toxic gases. New Zealand Hayden Marshall-Inman New Zealand tour guide Hayden Marshall-Inman, 40, who worked for White Island Tours, was confirmed to have died by his family on Tuesday although he is still officially listed as missing by New Zealand police. He was described as a “very experienced guide” who “loved life” by former Whakatāne mayor Tony Bonne. His brother, Mark Inman, told The Project New Zealand: “He was a guy that would do anything for anyone. I read a post from someone on Facebook yesterday or last night, saying he leaves $5 in the local dairy for whoever can’t afford something, every week he goes in.” Tipene Maangi The death of 24-year-old Tipene Maangi, who also worked as a tour guide on the island, was confirmed by New Zealand police on Sunday. Te Ao Maori News reported that Maangi, from Te Whānau a Apanui, worked as a tour guide for White Island Tours and had only been working there for two months, according to his relation Craig Teddy. Kelsey Waghorn According to a Givealittle page set up to assist the recovery of Kelsey Waghorn, the 25-year-old marine biologist was guiding a tour group when the volcano erupted on Monday. It said she was in a critical condition with severe burns and was undergoing regular surgery for skin grafts. Jake Milbank Jake Milbank, 19, was also working as a tour guide on the island when he was caught in the eruption. Reports said he received burns to 80% of his body and was in a critical condition in Middlemore hospital’s ICU. US There were reportedly six US tourists in hospital following the explosion. Husband and wife Pratap and Mayuri Singh, from Atlanta, were reported to be in a stable condition in Middlemore hospital. Ivy Kohn Reed, 51, from Massachusetts and her husband Rick Reed were also injured. Ivy Kohn Reed’s brother, Marc Kohn, told Stuff.co the couple had severe burns and had undergone surgery to clean their “scorched skin”, but were expected to recover. Barbara Barham told the Washington Post on Monday that her daughter Lauren Urey, 32, and husband Matthew Urey, 36, had plans to visit a live volcano and weren’t concerned about possible eruptions. “She said they were going to the volcano,” Lauren’s mother, Barbara Barham, told the Washington Post. “My husband was joking around and said, ‘I hope it’s not a live volcano.’ ” Malaysia An unnamed Malaysian man, who was a permanent resident of Australia, was injured in the eruption, according to the Malaysian high commission in Washington. UK The British high commission to New Zealand confirmed that two unnamed women were hurt in the disaster. China Long-term Australian residents Annie Yongan Lu, 26, and her 56-year-old mother, Alice Xioman Zhang were recovering in a New Zealand hospital, according to a Chinese-language report on Thursday. |