Toxic air, gases hamper search for last 2 victims

WELLINGTON－The death toll from New Zealand's White Island volcano eruption rose to 18 on Sunday, including two people whose bodies have not been recovered, police said.

Two four-person teams landed on the island by helicopter on Sunday morning, wearing heavy protective clothing, and using breathing apparatus that allowed them to search for only 75 minutes. They were unable to locate either body and returned to the New Zealand mainland where they underwent decontamination after being exposed to toxic ash and gases.

Increasing speculation was that the two victims could be in the water. Deputy police commissioner Mike Clement said there was "every chance" the bodies had been washed into the sea from the stream where they were last seen on Monday.

The two are believed to be a New Zealander tour guide and a boat captain who had taken tourists to the island, police said.

Forty-seven people were on the island－a popular tourist attraction－when the explosion happened.

The death toll now stands at 18 after an Australian victim who had been repatriated to Sydney died in a hospital almost a week after the deadly eruption.

The family of the latest victim have requested his name and age not be released.

Twenty-six survivors remain in New Zealand and Australian hospitals, of which 20 are listed as "critical" and fighting for their lives after the eruption on the desolate island, which is the country's most active volcano. Specialist medical teams were heading to New Zealand from Australia, Britain and the United States. Skin banks were also sending tissue to New Zealand hospitals to use for grafts.

Another three have been discharged after treatment at hospitals.

Clement said although the land and sea searches had so far been unsuccessful in finding the remaining bodies, police had not given up hope.

"There will come a time when we've done everything we can do, when we've done everything that's sensible but we're not there yet. ... we don't give up easily," he said.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has called on New Zealanders to observe a minute's silence in memory of victims of the disaster at 2:11 pm on Monday, a week from the eruption. Ardern and her Cabinet will pause in silence during their regular meeting at Parliament in Wellington.

Scientists monitoring White Island said there had been no further significant activity since last Monday's eruption but the risk remained.

A glow was visible from the vent area overnight "which confirms there is a high heat flow present," said Geoff Kilgour, a volcanologist with GNS Science, which monitors seismic and volcanic activity in New Zealand.

"This has been confirmed today by an aerial observation this morning that noted an active crater is emitting volcanic gas at a high rate and very high temperature" above 200 C.

The disaster has raised questions about why tourists were allowed on a volcano where experts had recently raised threat levels.

Agencies