WELLINGTON — The New Zealand firm that managed a volcanic island which erupted killing 22 people in 2019, was on Tuesday found guilty of failing to adequately protect visitors.
Around 50 people were on White Island — also known as Whakaari — in December 2019 when a deadly column of burning ash and steam blasted from a volcanic vent.A court in Auckland found Whakaari Management failed to "assess risk" to visitors sufficiently, or provide them with protective equipment.A second charge of ensuring the safety of those working on the island was dismissed.
The management company was the last of 13 individuals and organizations originally charged over the disaster.Whakaari Management — which granted permits to visit the island — will be sentenced next February with six other parties who pleaded guilty.During a 10-week trial, the court heard that the island's owners made around NZ$1 million a year from tourists before disaster struck.Since the eruption, no boat or aircraft tours have been allowed to land on the island.
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