The authorities had held off for days on sending the team to White Island, also known by its Maori name, Whakaari, because experts said it could erupt again at any time. But they moved ahead with the mission on Friday, recognizing the need to bring peace to the victims’ loved ones. Even as the team was trekking through sludge-like ash, the odds of an eruption stood at 50 percent to 60 percent, according to volcanologists. A sentry was monitoring the volcano for signs of change in its activity, and teams on boats anchored nearby were in a state of alert, ready for a sudden evacuation. A backup crew of special operations forces, wearing the same protective gear as the team on the ground, was in a rubber dinghy on standby.

Source: New York Times December 14, 2019 09:22 UTC