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CBS News Last December 9, Matt and Lauren Urey took an excursion to the White Island volcano,. The eruption, on 9 December 2019, killed 22 people who had been cruising on Royal Caribbeans ship Ovation of the Seas, including Marie Browitts husband, Paul, and daughter, Krystal. With no idea when help would arrive Stephanie tried to conserve her energy. ', Back in February this year, Ms Browitt revealed she suffered terrible PTSD after Melbourne's Australia Day celebrations. Her younger sister Krystal, 21, and father Paul were among 21 people who died as a result of the eruption. Browitts mother, Marie, remained aboard their cruise ship, Royal Caribbeans Ovation of the Seas, during the fateful day and was unharmed. The cruise ship company's materials referenced in court documents indicated that the White Island tour was priced around US$260 (NZ$380) at the time of the eruption. Stephanie, Krystal and Paul were part of a group of 38 people from the Ovation of the Seas cruise ship on a day trip to White Island on December 9. Four months on from the tragedy Stephanie and her mother Marie said they still don't know what happened to Krystal after the eruption, including how she was brought back to the mainland and when she died. Why Trust Us? Brothers Matthew Hollander, 13, and Berend Hollander, 16, died in hospital from injuries sustained in the eruption. "I've come to terms with it and I'm fully happy about it knowing that I'm grateful I'm alive," she says speaking calmly on the phone from the rehab centre in Melbourne. "So we are on level two, nearing level three now. January 1 - The New Jersey Transit Police Department is created in the state of New Jersey. The ground was burning hot. Melbourne woman Stephanie Browitt, 24, survived - but her father Paul and sister Krystal, 21, were among the 14 Australians killed in the eruption. Discovery) - All Rights Reserved, By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Access and Privacy Policy. A Whakaari/White Island survivor has recounted the day her family was "ripped apart" when the volcano erupted. A survivor of New Zealands White Island volcano eruption has removed her face compression bandage for the first time since the natural disaster left her with excruciating burns to 70% of her body. Ovation of the Seas passengers were led by guides from local company White Island Tours. It was while Stephanie Browitt was enjoying a holiday of a lifetime onboard the Royal Caribbean International cruise ship, Ovation of the Seas, alongside her entire family, that her world turned upside down. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. she said. Their parents, Martin and Barbara, were on the island with the boys and are also now confirmed to have died. Matt and Lauren Urey claim Royal Caribbean and ID Tours New Zealand Ltd. did not warn them of. Overall, 22 people died in the blast, per RNZ. "That's when we realised [I made] a split-second decision to just bolt," she recalled. The volcano kept making loud grumbling noises and Stephanie was scared it would erupt again. They loved Knox and all their friends, and the Australian sports and outdoor lifestyle they adopted on moving from the United States six years ago. Her loving younger sister sadly died at the scene and recovered a few days later, whereas her father was airlifted to an Auckland hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries within a month. Browitt, now 26, was airlifted to a hospital and spent two weeks in a coma fighting for her life after sustaining third-degree burns to the majority of her body. Unfortunately we weren't warned of or knew of the 21 cannon salute to commemorate Australia Day,' she said. "The pilot kept on saying, 'stay awake, stay awake'," she said. A severely burned Australian woman who lost her father and sister in New Zealands White Island volcano eruptionsaid she has been inundated with questions about why she and her family couldnt just jump in the water.. They had a positive and lasting impact on everyones paths they crossed. At the time, tourists were visiting the volcano, and several were right next to the volcanos active vent, National Geographic reported. St John medical director Dr Tony Smith has since admitted that emergency crews should have responded to the disaster more rapidly, but the delay was not responsible for lost lives. White Island survivor Stephanie Browitt has opened up about what kept her fighting to get better after losing her father and sister in the tragedy. Marie is also furious New Zealand police have taken photos and videos from her loved ones' phones but haven't provided them with the information they desperately need for closure. There are 16 confirmed fatalities, with many of the injured still in critical condition. It was just three pilots who chose to risk their own lives to help us and if they hadn't come, we'd all be gone," she said. The eruption on White Island sent sent huge amounts of steam and ash into the air in the blast. The sale of any tickets to the island was outrageous conduct, and nothing short of selling a ticket to play Russian roulette, the Browitts allege. It has asked the court to make orders preventing the families from moving ahead with their US cases. Far fewer know their real story, Queensland motocross rider dies after falling from bike at championship event in Victoria, NRL live: Dolphins face Sydney Roosters in debut appearance, Foreign ownership of Aussie gold mines would rise above 50pc if Newmont-Newcrest deal goes ahead, Max Verstappen takes Bahrain F1 pole, Aussie Oscar Piastri ousted in first Q1. "That's when the front tour guide, Hayden, must've heard us or something, I'm not sure, but he yelled, "Run!". There was literally no chance for the group of 21 people I was with, she adds. The couple, who sheltered behind a rock near the water when the volcano exploded, suffered extreme burns and spent two months recovering in separate hospitals. The Australian mans name was not released at the request of the family. In a statement, a spokesperson for Royal Caribbean said the company was "focused on providing care and support to passengers, their families and crew that were impacted by this event". They describe the eruption in detail in court filings, saying they were engulfed by a boiling cloud of acid gas, rock and ash and that Ms Reed recalls that her group resembled people walking away from the fallen Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre in New York City on September 11, 2001, except that the persons on White Island that day were horribly burned, in addition to being covered by white ash.. The deaths of Griffiths and Elzer were not confirmed until Monday and Tuesday respectively. The young Australian was on the island with her father and sister when they began to see black smoke billowing from the top of the crater. Were going to die on our honeymoon.. Stephanie Browitt was one of 47 tourists exploring the volcano on Dec. 9, 2019, when it erupted, spewing gases, rock and ash. What Really Happened At The Texas Killing Fields? There are millions of Australians who want to sign up. "They stripped me of my family and haven't taken any accountability for it," she said. Browitt said she thought she was going to die as she looked down and saw the skin and nails hanging off her hand. Husband and wife Pratap and Mayuri Singh, from Atlanta, were reported to be in a stable condition in Middlemore hospital. They were among. Despite the loss of her fingers she is able to move her hands and is able to write. In the video, a tour guide can be heard warning tourists of the impending danger. Royal Caribbean has not filed defences to either of the US cases, both of which were lodged earlier this month. The anniversary of the White Island tragedy today is a "heartbreaking" time for the Australian families who lost loved ones a year ago. "I know it definitely would've made a difference for a lot of the people that were there waiting.". There were four other victims on board. People support it but tell themselves they will do it later. "I do look forward to going back to that, just trying to get back to normal life. It said she was in a critical condition with severe burns and was undergoing regular surgery for skin grafts. Another chimed in with this devastating comment: I thought, this was it. He told them there were eight deceased people on the island. Krystal Browitt, the 21-year-old Melbourne woman missing since the White Island volcano eruption, was the first victim to be identified by police from the six people whose bodies were recovered from the island on Friday. Stephanie Browitt, 24, shared the harrowing photos on social media, updating her followers with the message: "Hard work pays off". 'It's a huge reminder that even though I believe I'm ok, I still have a lot of mental and emotional trauma to work through and that's okay.'. The British high commission to New Zealand confirmed that two unnamed women were hurt in the disaster. She later had 14 surgeries and had to relearn how to walk. T hroughout Saturday, Sunday and Monday, police named some of the victims of the Dec. 9 deadly volcanic eruption on New Zealand's White Island.Victims include Krystal Eve Brownitt, 21,. The family of Berend Hollander, 16, and his 13-year-old brother Matthew issued a statement saying they were absolutely heartbroken by this loss, which was confirmed by New Zealand police on Sunday. In their lawsuit, the Reeds also allege Royal Caribbean knew or ought to have known of the danger of eruption, but pushed ahead with the trip anyway. She has a masters degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day. We intend to protect and to defend Marie and Stephanies, and Paul and Krystals, right to pursue this case where the wrongdoing took place, Gordon said. Stephanie only found out about risk of eruption once she was on the island Stephanie, Krystal and Paul were part of a group of 38 people from the Ovation of the Seas cruise ship on a day trip to White Island on December 9. Speaking to 60 Minutes, Storey said he and his colleagues made the decision to help after being informed that medical aid would be delayed due to the danger. Browitts father, Paul, was airlifted to a hospital but died from his injuries a month later. It has been two years since the eruption that claimed 22 lives. He keeps his followers updated on his progress on Instagram: The island has been closed to visitors since the explosion, RNZ reports. However, she couldve never imagined her wish to get a close look at the steaming, acidic lake as well as sulphuric ash during a tour of the island would become a reality in the worst of ways. THE VOLCANO: Rescue from Whakaari | Official Trailer | Netflix. There are many times when my mind wont shut off. Lisa Dallow lost her husband and son on the island, and was in a coma for two months. . Powered by WordPress.com VIP. It was nearly an hour after the volcano erupted that help arrived. Gavin Dallow, 53, and his step-daughter Zoe Hosking, 15, from Adelaide died in the disaster. Since the disaster, Browitt has been forced to undergo a series of skin-graft surgeries, leaving her with bandages covering much of her body. As Stephanie and the others waited for help surrounded by ash, the hot sun made her burns more painful. "The investigation is taking so long now it's getting annoying and upsetting with how long it's taking," Stephanie said. Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopters said the crew were sent to Whakatane "to await further taskings". The survivor also shared horrific photos taken shortly after the disaster, revealing the severity of her injuries. White Island survivor Stephanie Browitt has removed her compression face mask for the first time in more than two years after she suffered horrific burns in the eruption. Published: 23:43 EST, 9 July 2021 | Updated: 23:58 EST, 9 July 2021. "We were just told a two-sentence description in the tour book on Royal Caribbean about how we would be visiting White Island and be enjoying it and then a scenic boat ride that would have a lunch as well on board," Stephanie said. Paul Browitt is being treated for burns in hospital in Melbourne. Anthony Langford, 51, was one of the Australians named by New Zealand police on Sunday while it was confirmed on Monday that his wife, Kristine, 45, had also perished. Stephanie Browitt, her younger sister Krystal, 21, and their father Paul had been on the Ovation of the Seas when it . I imagined that there would be medics, or like it was a medical helicopter, you know? An Australian woman who survived the White Island volcano eruption two years ago is reflecting on the day that changed her life. The 47 people caught in the blast came from seven different countries. "I know that if help had come sooner, there would probably be more people alive from our group.". "We just want to let it out and talk about it". The hazards expected from steam-driven eruptions . Best Travel Backpacks For Every Type Of Traveler, Everything (!!!) On Monday, Dec. 9, 2019 at 2:11 p.m., the Whakaari volcano exploded in a series of violent blasts, per National Geographic. New Zealand tour guide Hayden Marshall-Inman, 40, who worked for White Island Tours, was confirmed to have died by his family on Tuesday although he is still officially listed as missing by New Zealand police. Australia's oldest running coal-fired power station is about to close. We are as inland as you can get and under 140 meters from the crater, she continues.