By Elishya Perera
AUCKLAND, New Zealand (CWBN)_ As New Zealand commemorates the one-year anniversary of the deadly Whakaari-White Island eruption, survivors and family members filled a marae (a communal or sacred place of Māori communities) for a commemoration event.
Participating in the event earlier today, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern conveyed a message of love to survivors and affected families. “In a nation that has experienced so much pain and loss in recent times, 9th December 2019 was devastating.” The “extraordinarily challenging event” impacted everyone personally and deeply, she said.
There were 47 people, of which, a majority were tourists on the island, at the time the country’s most active volcano exploded twice, spewing plumes of ash up to 12,000 feet into the air.
Tourists from several countries, including Australia, the United States, Britain, China, Germany and Malaysia were travelling around New Zealand on the Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas cruise ship, and chose to visit the volcano which was marketed as “the world’s most accessible active marine volcano”.
The explosion in the north-eastern Bay of Plenty region killed 22 people, of which, 17 were Australians. It is reported that another 25 people suffered injuries.
Australia’s Foreign Minister Marise Payne said, “Together with many others in Australia and New Zealand, my colleagues and I across the Australian Government honour the memory of those who were lost in the disaster, and reflect on the resilience of those who survived and of their families.”
