it's hard to watch but crystal's phone captures the frenzied moments and sheer
terror unfolding at 11 minutes past two as the volcano erupts
welcome to mojo travels and in this installment of vacation from hell we're looking at the fukari
white island eruption there were people near us screaming out to us we're here we're here
helps here help's arrived for this list we'll be discussing the catastrophic 2019 eruption
and its aftermath are you a fan of our videos be sure to subscribe to
mojo travels and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos
volcanoes are irresistible to many people and as icarus found out the terrible way in greek
mythology devastating consequences can follow when you get too close to a very dangerous destination
of course modern volcano tourism is supposed to be safe but with adventure being a selling point for
new zealand tourism a little danger is past the appeal on december 9 2019 though tourists visiting
fukari got more danger than they bargained for within a few minutes a vacation went up in smoke
along with numerous lives you could hear the sound of all the rocks hidden in the ground
and people just screaming because no one knew what to do everyone was just petrified
and then when it hit it was just darkness it would be new zealand's most fatal volcanic travesty
since mount taraweri's eruption in 1886. rescuers were able to evacuate 23 people but believe close
to 50 may have been on the island located just 50 kilometers from new zealand's north island's east
coast this active andesite strato volcano has been privately owned by bustle family trust since 1953.
the island's maori name is tupuya afikari which translates to the dramatic volcano between 1976
and 2000 the island regularly endured eruptions although things calmed down going into the 21st
century eruptions still occurred in 2012 and 2016. while unauthorized visitors couldn't
land on the island tourist organizations like white island tours have made fukari a hot spot
you'll notice there's an area where there's a bit of bubbling water please don't go too close to it
because it is under cut not quite sure where it sort of ends up under our feet and um you may
need to use your mask up there okay it's been advertised as new zealand's most active volcano
even popping up in blockbuster franchises like lord of the rings white island tours didn't
exactly hide the risks involved the higher the um the levels the more there was of an eruption
level three is an eruption oh really so we're on a level two nearing level three now
not long before the 2019 eruption the website warned patrons of an alert level two indicating
moderate to heightened volcanic unrest and potential for eruption hazards to occur i didn't
fully comprehend what a level two meant because i don't really know much about volcanoes in general
but when he said that it had to be a bit quicker than usual i was thinking oh
well that's a little weird however the warning noted that white island tours follows a
comprehensive safety plan which determines our activities on the island at the various levels
this seemed to suggest that the risks were minimal and measures would be taken to ensure
a safe trip after all almost 20 000 people visited annually for over three decades children took
school trips to the island what were the odds that this trip would go awry what stephanie and
her family didn't know was that the level 2 warning had been in place for two weeks
according to volcanologist joshua von ottolow it was an accident waiting to happen nobody
was prepared at 1411 new zealand daylight time or 2 11 pm when the eruption occurred
38 of the 47 people on the island were ovation of the sea's passengers on a 12-day cruise
the cruises online promotion read get close to the drama which some unfortunately took to heart the
ash bloom skyrocketed almost 12 000 feet above the vent with some people reportedly standing close by
were there people still alive
according to universe the auckland volcanologist shane cronin a steam blast alone could be fatal
for those in the vents vicinity while there were fewer visitors than the initially estimated 100
people a substantial number wouldn't leave the island alive even the ones who did were far from
out of the woods the force was just that strong that my whole body was being shoved and pushed
and rolled onto the ground i was just hitting things while getting burnt at the same time it was
the most terrifying moment of my life 23 people were rescued with help from tour operators a
trio of nearby helicopter pilots were responsible for retrieving 12. it's just like a movie set and
something you'd never prepared for there was a lot of victims and a lot of burns and yeah a lot of
people lying pretty still controversially rescue crews didn't arrive until two and a half hours
after the eruption due to safety concerns several of the rescued victims would succumb to the
injuries by the end of december by january 2020 21 victims were declared dead the final victim horst
westenfelder of germany died on july 2nd 2020 from medical complications while being treated for his
injuries although the official death toll is 22 two people were never found australian teenager
winona langford and new zealand tour guide hayden marshall inman who were both presumed dead police
believe sydney teenager winona langford and local tour guide hayden marshall imminent have been
washed out to sea 25 of the 47 island visitors survived although they all received injuries with
many being seriously burned most of the victims were from australia while others hailed from new
zealand the us europe and asia volcanologist shane cronin described the eruption as
probably the actual worst case scenario what makes the incident all the more tragic is that
the warning signs have been present and largely underestimated what's unique about that crater is
that it's an amphitheatre shaped crater with very steep sides so you're totally enclosed within a
confined space with nowhere to escape should an event suddenly occur jeff kilgow of gns science
noticed localized surface deformation although this didn't necessarily confirm massive pressure
buildup tourist companies saw rises in gas emissions and seismic rumblings but this
only warranted slightly raised alert levels geonet which monitors new zealand's geological activity
deemed the island safe to visit clearly the island was misrepresented but who shares a majority of
the responsibility by november 2020 worksafe new zealand had charged 13 parties the parties
were charged with not meeting health and safety standards in taking tourists to the white island
ore called wakari in maori where the surprise eruption occurred seven were tourist companies
including white island tours the decision to prosecute kahu nz limited volcanic air safaris
limited and eris limited was met with controversy as their helicopter pilots aided in the rescue a
petition collected thousands of signatures to get charges against them dropped gns science national
emergency management agency and fakari management limited rounded out the 10 organizations charged
the final three were individuals andrew james and peter bottle who oversaw fakari management
all 13 initially pleaded not guilty for health and safety breaches although flight operator in flight
eventually entered a guilty plea being fined over two hundred thousand dollars
worksafe new zealand didn't file charges against ovation of the seas however the cruiser's operator
the miami-based royal caribbean international and id tours have faced legal action for negligence
matt and lauren yuri claim royal caribbean and id tours new zealand limited did not warn them of
heightened volcanic activity on the island before the excursion
in any of the year the focare eruption might have been the most talked about news story
of course this all happened just as the kovic 19 pandemic was getting started
had the eruption only occurred a few months later cruises likely would have been cancelled and lives
might have been saved on the incident's first anniversary survivors rescue workers and loved
ones of the deceased gathered in whakatane which was just off white island shore
at precisely 2 11 pm they shared a moment of silence new zealand prime minister jacinda ardem
and governor general dame patsy reddy were also present i say to those who have lost and grieve
you are forever linked to this place and our nation and we will continue to hold you close
there was no official ceremony the following year with some feeling that the pandemic hadn't allowed
people to properly grieve 60 minutes australia has extensively covered the eruption and its aftermath
interviewing several survivors in november 2020. in june 2022 the programme interviewed survivor
stephanie braut who spent two weeks in a coma and six months in a hospital upon receiving third
degree burns to 70 percent of her body her 21 year old sister crystal and her father paul didn't
survive it would be two and a half years until broward was able to remove her compression bandage
i do wish my dad and sister were still alive and still with me and that they could be here for this
moment browit and her mother are among those suing royal caribbean in may 2022 the national
emergency management agency won an appeal to drop the charges against the company the bustle family
is also attempting to get the charges against them dropped the defendants are expected to face trial
in 2023 and could receive a maximum fine of 1.5 million dollars if convicted as for fakari itself
online tours have been off limit since the 2019 eruption but you can still take a scenic flight
of the island after everything that's happened though should focary be condemned altogether
the island was a major tourist attraction for years with a new alert system and more precautions
could focary's reputation be restored or is that just another disaster waiting to happen so what do
you think would you risk another horror like this just to get near a volcano or do you think it's
been proven to be far too risky and would dishonor those whose lives were lost different travelers
might have different answers do you agree with our picks check out this other recent clip from
mojo travels and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos
you