WELLINGTON • Search teams returned to New Zealand's volcanic White Island yesterday, but there was no sign of two bodies still unaccounted for after last week's eruption, as police released the names of seven more victims and the death toll reached 18.
A land search early yesterday did not find any sign of the missing pair, and divers returned to the sea later amid rising speculation that both could be in the water.
Police Deputy Commissioner Mike Clement said there was "every chance" the bodies had been washed into the sea from the stream where they were last seen last Monday.
He added that searchers were "satisfied that the area we searched near the jetty is clear of the bodies".
"The rescue teams are frustrated. We understand completely how frustrating it is for loved ones who want the bodies back," he said.
Forty-seven people were on the island - a popular tourist attraction - when the explosion happened.
The death toll has reached 18, after an Australian victim who had been repatriated to Sydney died in hospital. Of the 26 survivors remaining in New Zealand and Australian hospitals, at least 18 are listed as "critical" and fighting for their lives after the eruption on the desolate island, which is the most active volcano in New Zealand.
The family of the latest victim asked that his name and age not be released.
Police yesterday named seven victims who have been officially identified, including New Zealand tour guide Tipene James Te Rangi Ataahua Maangi, 24.
Four were Australians - Zoe Ella Hosking, 15; her stepfather Gavin Brian Dallow, 53; 51-year-old Anthony James Langford and Ms Karla Michelle Mathews, 32. The others were Matthew Robert Hollander, 13, and Berend Lawrence Hollander, 16, who were US citizens with Australian permanent residency.
Deputy Commissioner Clement said that 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.
Deputy Commissioner John Tims said the police "have always anticipated recovering all bodies from the island, and we remain deeply committed to that goal, to allow families some closure".
Ash and other debris from the eruption have made the sea near the island toxic, and divers have to be washed clean after every completed dive.
Mr Tims called search conditions "unique and challenging", adding: "Divers have reported seeing a number of dead fish and eels washed ashore and floating in the water."
Scientists monitoring White Island said there had been no further significant activity since last Monday's eruption but the risk remained, with the volcano alert at level two, which indicates "moderate to heightened unrest with potential for eruption hazards".
A glow was visible from the vent area, "which confirms there is a high heat flow present", said volcanologist Geoff Kilgour of GNS Science, which monitors seismic and volcanic activity in New Zealand.
Of the 47 people on the island when the eruption happened, 24 were from Australia, nine from the US, five from New Zealand, four from Germany, two from China, two from Britain and one from Malaysia.
The disaster has raised questions about why tourists had been allowed on a volcano where experts had recently raised threat levels.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, ASSOCIATED PRESS
