In December 2019, the Ovation of the Seas left Sydney bound for a 12-day trans-Tasman cruise to New Zealand.
The luxury holiday promised great entertainment and the opportunity to get up close to the country’s renowned natural beauty.
But things quickly turned nightmarish when a group of day-trippers and cruise ship passengers were trapped in the middle of a volcanic eruption.
47 people were inside the White Island volcano crater when it erupted.
21 were killed.
19 of them were from the Ovation of the Seas.
Four Corners investigates what tourists understood about the dangers of visiting New Zealand’s most active volcano and whether more could have been done to prevent the tragedy.
Read more: https://ab.co/2Y9zqKI
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i much rather freeze to death than be cooked alive.. horrible just horrible…
Humans will also run towards lions and yes they will also get killed.
I know I would not have needed to be TOLD of the danger, I would not be visiting an active volcano, but I don't open ocean cruise either…
What a tragedy. 😢
The helpers are ANGELS! All of them! It must have been terrible for everyone. 🥺
I'm not sailing on a cruise line that doesn't take responsibility for their passengers…
Horrific. I don't put myself in harmsway…ever. I have zero desire to see volcanoes, swim in the ocean , climb a mountain…you name it. However, I live bicoastal and have seen most of what I want from a safe distance. No regrets.
Yup sounds like something I would like do, go into the throat of an ACTIVE volcano.. wow
BRASILIAN COUPLE DESERVE AUSTRALIAN PASSPORT AS HEROS.
THEY WILL HAVE TRAUMAS FOR ALL LIFE
FOR HEROIC ACTION.
COOL
In the name of Tourist Operators who chase the money, was this a good outcome for you all. No one should have been on that Island. No one. No safety briefing. Why is RC the only one responsible. What about the Tourism Operators The bravery of those who conducted the rescues exceptional, most with little or very basic medical qualifications. Some may have PTSD as well as ongoing chronic medical conditions as a consequence. Madness comes in many forms. It’s time to show respect to our environment and we cannot just feel we are entitled to go where we please, encouraged by the tourism industry. The NZ government, you are also responsible. My condolences to those who lost their precious family and friends and those who will endure years of medical care. 💰🙏🇦🇺
My God, the horror of this for everyone is incredible. It brings tears to my eyes. May those who died rest in peace and those who survived find their own recovery and peace somehow.
Did they have a volcanologist in the vicinity in touch with the tour company to warn the people? It's not the people to blame but the tour company.
Once again I watched the video and wonder how these people were allowed to go on an active volcanic island – my heart cried for the horror they went through. Responsibility lies with the tour group and hope, after all this time, they have been held responsible but that could be a problem as the people went onto the island under their own decision.
Into the top of a live volcano.
No freakin' way
Disgusting how the risk adverse NZ Police and emergency services left them there to die 🤮👎🤮👎🤮👎🤮👎
This is complete negligence on the part of the cruise line. So sad for all who suffered. The rescuers were true heroes.
pretty safe island…….it there are just people not listening to warnings…………….volcanos do not just explode, it gives warning……….. the cruise organizers i am sure knows that its not safe that day……………… but greed prevails……..
Challenging faith by curiosity
People are questioning why they were allowed to sight-see an active volcano? My question would be to ask WHY would you go and walk .. in and around .. inside the crater .. of an ACTIVE VOLCANO?!?
I mean, it was already very well known to be New Zealand’s “Most Active Volcano”!
Personally? I don’t need a tourism board to tell me that an active volcano is dangerous, fer God’s sakes.
It’s all about money! Tourism $$$. They could care less about peoples lives… “oh there’s a risk in everything” the tourist guide said, how ignorant can anyone be!
Why in heavens name do people go into a volcanic crater! Stupidity gone to seed!
Wasn’t there danger if tsunami
It makes no sense at all to allow tourists companies to take tourist's onto an active volcano. Especially as the island is at a condition 2.
Sad the people who were in charge of rescue made some very very poor decisions. 😢🥺
This is so beautiful ❤️
Brave pilots.
Peace, love, and comfort to the survivors.
It was time to go when you saw the black smoke.
People are about to think I'm insensitive, rude, & a douche for what I'm gonna say..
It really bothers me that most everyone of the victims & victims families are placing the blame and suing the Cruise operators, the Boat Tour Operators & Helicopter tour operators for what took place..
THIS CLAIM THAT NONE OF THESE AGENCIES PROPERLY WARNED THEM OF THE DANGERS OF going directly into an Active Volcanos Caldera ..Not Active dormant, PRESENT TERMS ACTIVE…
The ONLY WAY you could skate personal Responsibility here is if you were completely Blind..
From The boat jetty to the ultimate center of this Caldera were dozens of these Sulfur Chimneys spewing steam, with a BOILING ACID POND IN THE CENTER of it…I mean there is ZERO DOUBT that they are standing on an Active Volcano..
They had to sign waivers and provide both name and phone number of your next of Kin..
No Grown adult could say with honestly that they were blind to the obvious danger of standing in the middle of an Active Strato Volcano…..
BUT I DO HAVE ONE CAVEAT TO THAT…
I think that THE NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT SHOULD TAKE EVERY BIT OF BLAME & RESPONSIBILITY FOR ALL OF THOSE VICTIMS AND THOSE FAMILIES….THE NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT SHOULD FOOT THE ENTIRETY OF THE MEDICAL FINANCIAL BURDEN OF ALL THE VICTIMS, along with any Mental Health care. Also to Compensate the victims for loss of income..
"ATLEAST" !!!!!
And I say that because in Truth New Zealand should have NEVER allowed it to be open to commercial Tourism which I'm sure all of those businesses at some point had to get approval from the Govt to run their touring company centered around white Island…
People tend to trust and have faith that if it is being allowed to be exploited (for lack of a better word) as one of New Zealand's " MUST SEE'S" That brings in more Tourism Dollars for the state and local Economies. then their must be a fair degree of confidence that it's safe….They have Volcanologist, Geologists @ their disposal, on the Govt payroll!! & OBVIOUSLY
Because a countries Government iisnt typically in the business of jeopardizing the lives of tourists or it's own citizens …
The victims do share some responsibility for choosing to do something risky which I'm sure was part of what lures people to do it in the 1st place
BUT ULTIMATELY,! THE TRUE BLAME ?! IT SHOULD BE ON THE NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT not the tour operators or cruise ship operators….
Because like I said, Those businesses could not legally operate without 1st gaining approval to do so
HUMAN STUPIDITY ……..
Boat passengers and pilots were the true heroes…
So visiting the caldera of a currently active volcano is dangerous? No way! Someone bring that mountain to justice!
At least my sister didn’t died
What a selfless group! They didn't think about their safety, they just went out to help.
I recently watched the documentary about this on Netflix, and I just couldn't understand how anyone is allowed yo vist an active volcano.
Well, SOMEONE needs to be held responsible for this. Imagine deeming it a good idea to send people on tours to such an active volcano! They knew that it was erupting every 3 years, and this was three yrs after the last eruption! It was right on cue!
I still can't believe that Search & Rescue was told to stand down and it was unsafe to land. I would like to know how they were getting information that it was unsafe to land when 3 helicopters already landed. They should be ashamed of themselves not going to help those poor people. Then a year later criminally charge those same pilots for doing the job you was supposed to be doing. How dare you charge those hero's. May everyone who passed away R.I.P. Also how could you not secure the bodies and let 2 of them wash away ?
She’s an active volcano, there’s a chance she’ll erupt at any time. I love volcanoes so it’s a risk I’d be willing to take. My condolences to the families of those who lost their lives.
As a retired engineering researcher who has been engaged in research of volcanoes, I think that this report is MISLEADING in many respects. 1st of all it is extremely obvious that the monitors of the site and The Emergency Services Response Authorities failed to properly warn everyone about the potential hazard of this type of Volcano. [Volcanoes which erupt via water intrusion often are cyclic in nature. (In this case the period of eruption is approximately 3 years. The timing of potential steam explosions can be approximated using a Fourier Analysis of the sismic data.) Worse yet, the emergency services failed to properly prepare for this type of eruption. ( The emergency response officials were totally ignorant of the pattern of eruptions and were totally unprepared to deal with this type of event! The tour leaders were NOT properly trained nor did they have the proper types of emergency response or medical equipment. There were NO emergency blankets, no emergency oxygen, no appropriate or suitable enclosures, No morphine, no additional water, et cetera, et cetera… I in NO way am being critical of the actual TOUR leaders/staff because they ALL behaved with exceptional courage and strength and are true HEROES!!! The so-called "authorities", NZ Police Saint John's medical director and to a group owners, Are totally responsible for their Negligence, ignorance, cowardice, and/or arrogance.) The response of the New Zealand police and director of Saint John's is nothing short of despicable, cowardly, incomptent, and unprofessional. (Any person who works in search and rescue except a certain level of risk and the low risk of a subsequent eruption certainly warranted the launch a certain search & rescue.) This type of Volcano typically requires a substantial amount of time too "recharge" before secondary eruption hence it was not technically accurate to claim that another eruption was imminent. Worse was the fact that the police placed a "no fly zone" over the island and did not give emergency services who were already in flight the option to immediately go to the island. This caused severe and disturbing additional trauma to the surviving victims and more than likely cost additional lives. What is more inexcusable is the fact that they cowardly and arrogantly attempted to justify their horrible decisions. The fact that the director at Saint John's refused to allow over a dozen search and rescue helicopters to fly to the island is equally inexcusable and disturbing. His behavior was arrogant arrogant as it was Unprofessional and inaccurate. These so-called "professionals" acted cowardly and subsequently arrogantly. with no concern for the Horrific trauma and loss of life that resulted. The fact that eruptions chittens was your cause by steam generated from water intrusion take a substantial amount of time to recharge and the rope again is well known amongstrue professionals (The fact that steam-generated Island Volcano eruptions (from water intrusion) take a substantial amount of time to recharge and the rope again is well known amongs true professionals. Consequently, there was no reason to delay searching rescue and cause horrific and undo additional trauma and loss of life!!!) Obviously poor communication ignorance and cowardice resulted in additional horrific pain and suffering… and loss of life!!! The so-called professionals failed at every turn! Yet they continue to arrogantly promote themselves as heroes which is nothing short of despicable!!! (I particularly feel sorry for the searching & rescue personnel aboard the helicopters that were forced to stand down by thedear cowardly "superiors".) It's unfortunate that this news report ALSO failed to acknowledge the truth that the ONLY TRUE HEROES in this instance were the HEROIC civilian responders who saved many many lives!!! (While the "professional" search & rescue helicopters were sitting at the airport…waiting… commercial pilots were in the air and saving lives!) It is really pathetic that this report portrays the search and rescue as actually "saving lives" on the island when, in point of fact, they did not arrive until AFTER most survivors had been removed from the volcanoes BY BRAVE CIVILIANS and the remaining survivors had DIED while they sat at the airport drinking coffee… Their "leaders" being too cowardly to allow them to return to the island to rescue the remaining survivors SUFFERED and DIED!!! I thank God that some brave civilian locals and some of the surviving tourists had the guts to do what needed to be done! They ALONE were responsible for saving so many lives!!!
ugh…. I just watched the story of Stephanie Browitt…one of the survivors of this. Nothing like sitting in front of youtube first thing in the morning with a hot cup of coffee crying my eyes out. Holeeeeee sheep shit what a tragedy and what a story of human strength and will power. Whenever I think my life is shitty I will just remind myself of what she and 46 other people had to deal with.
I'd never wanna go on a two hour nauseating boat ride for a 30 minute hike for 2 minute view of steam..
Why did Royal Carribean not put in the excursion brochure that it was a level 2 volcano or any subsequent warnings about what level 2 means ? MONEY. They wanted to sell tickets. Their risk management department had been warned TWO WEEKS PRIOR about increased activity potential but they were gambling with the patrons and tour guide’s lives because adventure tourism is big money. If they warned the patrons too much, they weren’t going to sell as many tickets.
Total and absolute incompetence on and at so many levels it's ridiculous. The rejection of responsibility is outright callous. Authorities were notified of a heightened threat level. The hazardous effects of such a level were shown in 2016. Whose responsibility was it to make the judgement whether to continue or suspend tours when in the heighten threat level state? You err on the side of prudence…..not money or personal whim. That person or group of persons were responsible for those deaths and injuries despite what some half witted survivor thinks. The possibility of the grim reality that did happen I doubt was adequately conveyed to anyone. Want a taste of proof? Ask them if they'd do it again right now if the same thing was certain to happen. The other that I find strikingly stupid is the lack of emergency preparedness. Why didn't those tour launches just have band aids and "have a good day" stickers in their first aid kits. Would have been about as useful as what they did have🙄🙄🙄…..so your going to have 50 plus people in harms way at least several times a month and not have adequate quick response air rescue…..not to mention sea…..close off shore????🙄🙄🙄 No…..these people need multiple layers of Coke bottle bottoms for glasses to help with gross short sightedness.
Next week we are visiting BLM riots it's safe though we will provide brown makup.
Firemen first responders are sent inside a burning building wearing protective clothing and carrying hoses to fight a fire. The Fire Chief responsible for them won't send them to a burning collapsing building. Likewise, the role of the physician leader of the rescue pilots is make sure that his men can safely help the victims of this unfortunate catastrophe without unduly endangering them.
22:29 I’m so impressed that the crew asked the passengers not to film the injured.
I’m so grateful so many people risked themselves to help others. 💕
It is a harder decision to command those pilots assigned to their physician leader, to fly towards an erupting volcano than for him to volunteer his services in the middle of covid stricken patients. I feel his quandary.
There ought to be a uniform universal law that prohibits the arranging of itineraries that include access to dangerous areas( natural underground rivers, active volcanoes, radio active places ) unless the people in the group are geologists, vulcanologists or experts in that scientific field. The regular tourists don't have the expertise to assess when such trips are dangerous. Some are even foolhardy, endangering thems elves when there are posted signals of danger. Some laymen thru no fault of theirs, are not conversant with danger signals. If it is made a crime to book a traveler to such an excursion, then unsuspecting people won't find themselves in such frightening circumstances. It is unfair to second guess the physician leader who did not send those pilots to the volcano in the middle of an eruption. .. Unlike firemen who are protected by their special clothing and who can control the spread of a fire, those pilots have no special clothing nor" hoses" to control an eruption of a volcano.
Don’t go into volcanoes mmkay?