TVNZ/via REUTERS TVNew Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday that official inquiries into last week’s fatal volcano eruption could take up to a year, and will carry potential criminal penalties of up to five years in jail. The official death toll from the surprise eruption on White Island, also known by its Maori name of Whakaari, stands at 16. REUTERS/Jorge Silva REFILE An aerial view of the Whakaari, also known as White Island volcano, in New Zealand, December 12, 2019. via REUTERS A view of White Island, New Zealand after a volcanic eruption December 9, 2019, in this picture obtained from social media. “We will continue the operation for as long as we have a chance of recovering those bodies,” New Zealand Police Commissioner Mike Bush told Radio New Zealand.

Source: Huffington Post December 16, 2019 21:45 UTC