Police say the plan to recover the bodies from Whakaari / White Island tomorrow morning will take several hours, and still carries a lot of risk.
Scientists are warning seismic activity on the island has increased and there is a 50 to 60 percent chance of another eruption within the next 24 hours.
A recovery plan has been devised and New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel will attempt to recover the bodies from the volcano “at first light” on Friday.
What you need to know:
A devastating volcanic eruption occurred on White Island / Whakaari at 2:11pm on Monday – the biggest for the volcano in recent history.
Forty-seven people visited the island on Monday. Of those, eight are confirmed dead and 21 remain in New Zealand hospitals. Seven people have been transferred to Australia with an additional six to be tranferred in the next 24 hours. Three people have been discharged and eight bodies remain on the island.
GNS Science confirmed the volcano is becoming increasingly unstable, with a 50-60 percent chance of another eruption in the next 24 hours.
