- Title: NZ PM says recovery teams hoping to access White Island volcano on Wednesday
- Date: 10th December 2019
- Summary: WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND (DECEMBER 11, 2019) (REUTERS) NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER JACINDA ARDERN SEATED FOR INTERVIEW (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER JACINDA ARDERN, ASKED ABOUT THE RESCUE AND RECOVERY TEAM, SAYING: "Their absolute focus at the moment is ensuring we have the very best care for those who were injured as a result of the eruptions. Those individuals, they have been placed across hospitals in New Zealand to ensure that we are making use of the expertise in the injuries that they have, so they're in our burns units around New Zealand." ARDERN SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER JACINDA ARDERN, SAYING: "Also for our police, the recovery is paramount for them. They have been receiving information and advice from GNS (Geological & Nuclear Sciences) and technical experts as to the best most appropriate time to return to White island to undertake recovery. Having spoken to many of those involved in that operation they are very very eager to get back. They want to bring back people's loved ones home." REPORTER ASKING "Is it likely that it will happen today?" ARDERN SAYING: "That's everyone's hope. I can't presume to know what some of the information will present today. But I know they will convene first thing this morning to again start that process of trying get all the information to make those decisions as quickly as they can. As I say, some of teams down there are local, they want to get back." VARIOUS OF NEW ZEALAND FLAGS AT HALF-MAST FOR THE VOLCANO VICTIMS
- Embargoed: 24th December 2019 21:26
- Keywords: Jacinda Ardern New Zealand volcano
- Location: WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND
- City: WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND
- Country: New Zealand
- Topics: Disaster/Accidents,Earthquakes/Volcanoes/Tsunami
- Reuters ID: LVA001B9J78ZR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that recovery teams were hoping to access the volcanic island on Wednesday (December 11) where eight people are missing and feared dead, two days after an eruption killed six people.
"That's everyone's hope," Ardern told Reuters about the possibility of accessing White Island, which lies some 50 km (30 miles) off the mainland.
Ardern said emergency response officials would meet on Wednesday morning "to again start that process of trying get all the information to make those decisions as quickly as they can."
The missing and injured include tourists from Australia, the United States, Germany, China, Britain and Malaysia, along with New Zealanders.
Authorities have been cautious about accessing the island, which was covered with hot ash and steam in the eruption, saying they did not want to put more lives at risk. New Zealand's geological science agency on Tuesday put the risk of another imminent eruption at 50%.
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