AFP, WHAKATANE, New ZealandElite soldiers yesterday retrieved six bodies from New Zealand’s volatile White Island volcano, winning praise for a “courageous” mission carried out under the threat of another eruption. Efforts to locate the two remaining bodies were ongoing, with divers searching nearby waters after a corpse was seen floating in choppy seas on Tuesday, Bush said. New Zealand Special Operations Component Commander Rian McKinstry said he was “incredibly proud” of the team, who dealt with heat stress as they prepared the bodies to be airlifted out. “It was a unique operation, but unique operations are what organizations like the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Squadron gets involved in,” he said. “Today was all about reuniting them with their loved ones,” she said, adding that she was on tenterhooks when the military team was on the volcano.

Source: Taipei Times December 13, 2019 16:06 UTC