White Island eruption: Death toll from New Zealand volcano rises to 21 after critically injured patient dies in hospital

Stephanie Cockroft29 January 2020

The death toll from the volcano eruption in New Zealand has risen to 21 after a critically-injured person died in hospital.

The person, who police have not identified, died on Tuesday night at Auckland’s Middlemore Hospital.

Police Deputy Commissioner John Tims said the victim would be identified once their wider family had been informed.

The incident initially killed 13 people and left more than two dozen in hospital with severe burns.

New Zealand Volcano eruption: White Island - In pictures

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Eight people have died in hospital in New Zealand and Australia in the weeks since the eruption.

Experts say super-heated water that burst from beneath the crater’s surface caused the burns, which in some cases covered large portions of the victims’ bodies or damaged their lungs.

Many of those killed and injured were Australian tourists travelling aboard Royal Caribbean cruise ship Ovation of the Seas.

One of the people who died in the weeks after the eruption was 42-year-old Atlanta area woman Mayuari Singh, whose husband was also hospitalised with injuries.

American honeymooners Lauren Urey, 32, and Matthew Urey, 36, from Richmond, Virginia, were also hospitalised with injuries.

Their families said last month the couple had been progressing as well as could be hoped for given the extent of their injuries.

Two weeks ago, the organiser of a crowd fundraising effort for the Ureys said the couple hoped to return home soon.

New Zealand authorities are investigating the circumstances around the disaster.

Many have questioned why tourists were allowed on the island after its alert level was raised by authorities three weeks before the eruption.

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