Krystal Eve Browitt named as first victim of New Zealand volcano eruption

Death toll rises to 15 as divers continue search for missing bodies

The first victim of the White Island volcano eruption in New Zealand has been officially named as divers continue to search for bodies.

Police have confirmed 21-year-old Krystal Eve Browitt, from Melbourne, died while visiting the island with her family.

The veterinary student was with her father Paul and sister Stephanie, who are both in hospital with serious injuries, while her mother Marie stayed on the cruise ship they had been holidaying on.

Ms Browitt was described as a “beautiful soul” by the principal of her former school, Kolbe Catholic College, ABC News reports.

The official death toll from Monday’s eruption has risen to 15. However, divers continue to search waters near the island for the bodies of two people who are still missing.

Waters around the island have been contaminated by the massive eruption of rocks, lava and chemicals, causing near zero visibility for divers and described as “unique and challenging” conditions by police.

The remains of six people were recovered on Friday after a military team in gas masks and hazmat suits landed on the uninhabited island and removed the bodies in a four-hour, high-risk operation.

In a statement released on Saturday, geological agency GeoNet said there was a 35 to 50 per cent risk of an eruption that would impact beyond the volcano’s vent area in the next 24 hours.

This is a decrease from the 50 to 60 per cent risk announced on Friday.

Police divers prepare to search the waters near White Island off the coast of Whakatane, New Zealand, Saturday, 14 December 2019. (New Zealand Police via AP)

The volcano, a popular tourist destination for day-trippers, spewed ash, steam and gases over the island as it erupted on Monday.

Among the 47 people on the island at the time were Australian, US, German, Chinese, British and Malaysian tourists.

The condition of two British women, who were among those admitted to hospital, is not known.

The death toll rose to 15 on Saturday as one more person died in hospital.

The toll may rise further as more than two dozen people are still hospitalised across New Zealand and Australia, most with severe burn injuries.

There has been criticism that tourists were allowed on the island at all, given signs of increasing tremor activity in the days before the eruption.

Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s prime minister, announced on Saturday that a minute’s silence will be observed at 2.11pm local time (01.11 GMT) on 16 December – exactly one week from when the fatal eruption occurred.

She said: “Wherever you are in New Zealand, or around the world, this is a moment we can stand alongside those who have lost loved ones in this extraordinary tragedy.”

Additional reporting by Reuters