An Australian woman who was feared dead in the White Island volcano disaster is alive but injured, while her husband and teenage daughter remain missing.
Lisa Dallow, 48, from Adelaide, is in hospital fighting for her life after suffering severe burns, her brother confirmed on Tuesday.
David Francis had flown out to New Zealand after learning his sister was among those missing in the volcano eruption that is believed to have killed 13 so far.
The mum, her husband Gavin, 53, and 15-year-old daughter Zoe, had been on a cruise holiday which included an optional walking tour of the active volcano when it erupted.
Mr Francis learned she is critical condition in a hospital in Hamilton, however her other family members remain unaccounted for, The Advertiser reported.
Lawyer Gavin Dallow, 53, his wife Lisa Hosking (both right) 48, and her daughter Zoe Hosking (left) 15, were all on a cruise holiday which included an optional walking tour of the volcano when it erupted. Lisa has been found alive but critically injured
Zoe and her father remain unaccounted for in the wake of Monday’s disaster
Mr Dallow’s cousin Baxter Stone said he was hoping the family is fine and have just been unable to get in contact with other family members.
‘They’re unaccounted for that’s all we know. We can only hope that they got off the island,’ he said.
‘You just hope they just lost their phone in panic. The only next thing is you hope they didn’t suffer, people had really bad burns and five died.’
Mr Stone said his cousin was deeply committed to his family and would be ‘missed beyond words’ if he was among the dead.
‘He was always up for an entertaining chat a deep love of sport that saw him umpire football and tennis at the highest levels,’ he said.
‘I’m still hoping it’s all been a mistake sadly that seems less likely as the hours tick by.’
Relatives are flying to New Zealand to desperately search hospitals for any sign of the missing family.
Principal Paddy McEvoy of St Aloysius College, where Zoe studies, said: ‘Our thoughts and prayers are with Zoe and her family.’
Some 47 tourists – from New Zealand and overseas – were on or around the crater, located off the coast of the North Island, at the time of the blast. Pictured: Smoke rises into the air after the explosion on Monday
Missing: Among those listed as missing is North Sydney family of four, parents Anthony, 51, and Kristine Langford (pictured) and their two teenage children (below). The missing list was compiled by concerned family members on the Red Cross website
Siblings Jesse Langford (left) 19, and Winona Langford, 17, were believed to be on holiday with their family. Relatives say they have not heard about their welfare
Jason Griffiths (pictured left), 33, from Coffs Harbour in New South Wales is in hospital in critical condition after the eruption. Tour guide Tipene Maangi (right) 23, remains missing
Earlier, 12-year-old Perth boy Samson Tamaliunas, who was listed as missing on the New Zealand Red Cross website was declared safe.
His father, John Tamaliunas confirmed he and his family were on the Ovation of the Seas cruise ship and are all alive and well.
‘We are all safe, Samson has been listed as missing HE is not,’ the dad said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
Mr Tamaliunas said the family had been on a glow worm tour near Tauranga, 50km from White Island, when the blast took place.
‘Our thoughts go out to those who have been injured missing and have lost their lives,’ he added.
Thirteen people are now presumed dead with at least three of those believed to be Australian and one from New Zealand.
Royal Caribbean issued a statement saying the ship would stay in the nearby port overnight ‘until we learn more about the situation’. The Ovation of the Seas is pictured docked in Auckland
Stephanie Wright, whose Facebook says she’s a lighting technician at Royal Caribbean International, also wrote a status about being safely docked at Tauranga
Julie Richards, 47, and her daughter Jessica, 20, from Brisbane, were on the cruise and are among the missing.
Ms Richards’ sister Barbara Whitehead said she was ‘overwhelmed’ by the lack of information, and had nothing from NZ police, Royal Caribbean, or DFAT.
She called seven New Zealand hospitals in the hope they were injured and not dead, but only one of them would even confirm they were not patients.
Jessica is a veterinary technology student at the University of Queensland’s Gatton campus and she and her mother were due back this weekend.
Jason Griffiths, 33, from Coffs Harbour in on the NSW Mid-North Coast is in hospital in critical condition after the eruption.
Mr Griffiths was travelling with Karla Mathews, 32, and Richard Elzer, 32, who are listed as missing.
Nick and Marion London, from Engadine in Sydney’s south, were also being treated for burns in hospital.
There are also serious concerns for the Langford family of north Sydney with Anthony, 51, his wife Kristine and their children Jesse, 19, and Winona, 17, listed as missing on a website set up by the New Zealand Red Cross.
Relatives said they had not heard about their welfare and were concerned for their safety.
Forty-seven people were on White Island, 50km north-east of New Zealand, when the volcano erupted with a large plume of ash and steam at 2.11pm on Monday.
White Island, 48km from the Bay of Plenty region, began erupting about 2.11pm local time
Whakaari also known as White Island, 48km (29mi) located off New Zealand’s North Island, erupted around 2.11pm local time on Monday blowing huge plumes of smoke and debris 12,000 ft into the sky
On the island at the time of the eruption were two Britons, four Germans, 24 Australians, five Kiwis, two Chinese, one Malaysian and nine Americans.
After the volcano erupted, 39 people made it to the mainland via boat and helicopter, of which five have died from their burns which were described by witnesses as ‘horrific’ and left paramedics traumatized.
New Zealand’s chief medical officer Dr Pete Watson said it had been a year’s worth of work in one day at Middlemore Hospital in terms of response.
Three people have been discharged from hospital but 31 are still being treated, including several fighting for their lives, and Dr Watson said it was likely some would not survive.
He said 27 of those 31 people have burns to more than 30 per cent of their bodies which allows them to be treated at New Zealand’s national burns unit.
The injured are aged between 13 and 72 and some of them also have inhalation burns and damage to their lungs, which are obstructing their airways.
Rescuers are desperately trying to find eight people who never made it off the island but no-one has set foot on the volcanic isle since Monday afternoon because it is too unsafe.
Police Deputy Commissioner John Tim announced the investigation in a press conference on Tuesday afternoon amid questions about why they were allowed to visit the dangerously active volcano.
Thirty-eight of those on the island were on a day tour from cruise ship Ovation Of The Seas. The ship was due to leave the Bay of Plenty at 6pm on Tuesday to continue its tour around New Zealand – but a Royal Caribbean spokesman said it ‘will remain in port as long as needed to assist with the situation.’
Asked if it’s possible that some are still alive, Mr Tim said: ‘I would strongly suggest that there is no-one that has survived on the island.’
He said his officers were working with webcam photos of the crater taken before the explosion to help locate bodies. Police are also using drones but strong winds have hampered efforts.
Those Australians who are well enough to fly will go home to continue their treatment closer to their familes, officials said.
There are eight being treated in Christchurch, eight in Waikato, five in Hutt, and four in Middlemore burn units with another four in Tauranga Hospital.
The criminal probe will be carried out by NZ police alongside a separate health and safety investigation by WorkSafe NZ into the harm and loss of life caused by the eruption.