Families of the victims held a blessing at sea as New Zealand army helicopters embarked on a high-risk mission to retrieve the bodies of eight people who were on White Island when it erupted this week.
Families of the victims gathered at the waterfront in Whakatane, on the Bay of Plenty, before dawn on Friday in anticipation of the recovery operation.
"The family representatives are returning to the mainland and the operation to recover the eight bodies on the island has commenced," he said.Along the waterfront, members of Ngāti Awa have been singing and offering traditional prayer in support of the recovery team. About 50 people have been assembled since sunrise.
Two helicopters from the New Zealand Defence Force left the local airport shortly after 6.30am local time to head to the island, which is about 50 kilometres off shore. The helicopters were carrying a crack eight-member military unit with specialised equipment to recover the bodies and gather as much evidence as possible to identify the victims.
Seismologists have warned the volcano is becoming increasingly unstable, with a 50 to 60 per cent chance of another eruption in the next 24 hours.
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