White Island tour boat captain is branded a hero after risking his life trying to save tourists

A tour boat captain has been branded a hero for risking his life trying to save tourists moments after narrowly escaping death in the White Island volcano disaster.

Skipper Paul Kingi was among the lucky few who was in the right place at the right time on Monday after leaving the island just minutes before the deadly eruption. 

Despite making it out alive, the tour guide made the heroic decision to return to the disaster zone in a bid to rescue victims.  

Kingi’s colleague Rick Pollock detailed the dramatic rescue on Tuesday praising him for his ‘superhuman effort.’  

‘Having left the island only minutes before the eruption he was the first back on, rescuing and assisting numerous injured back onto the waiting boats,’ he said in a touching Facebook post. 

Skipper Paul Kingi (left) has been hailed a hero after risking his life trying to rescue tourists in the deadly volcano blast 

Fellow White Island tour guide Hayden Marshall-Inman (pictured) was confirmed dead by his brother, Mark Inman, who said the victim had 'passed away doing the one thing he loved'

Fellow White Island tour guide Hayden Marshall-Inman (pictured) was confirmed dead by his brother, Mark Inman, who said the victim had ‘passed away doing the one thing he loved’

‘He went back again and again, ignoring the toxic environment and personal risk, until he was satisfied there were no more obvious survivors remaining. 

‘This superhuman effort doesn’t surprise me in the least as I’ve seen this fine man in action on numerous occasions, always controlling a bad situation.’  

Pollock met Kingi back in the late 1980s and later invited him to join their ‘national’ fishing team, before he eventually became his crewman.

‘His strong work ethic and foresight shone brightly as the business only grew from strength to strength under his guidance. Yesterday this all came to fruition yet again but under the most dire of circumstances,’ he said. 

Kingi managed to escape the blast after losing friend and colleague, Hayden Marshall-Inman, who was the first victim to be identified by family on Monday.  

His brother, Mark Inman confirmed his death saying the tour guide had ‘passed away doing the one thing he loved’. 

Pollock paid tribute to his friend, who he had known since he was three years old and had watched him work his way up the ranks as a relief crewman, alongside Kingi. 

Kingi's colleague Rick Pollock detailed the man's heroic actions on Tuesday, commending him for his 'superhuman effort'

Kingi’s colleague Rick Pollock detailed the man’s heroic actions on Tuesday, commending him for his ‘superhuman effort’

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

Dramatic footage shows plumes of smoke shooting up into the sky

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 

White Island, 48km from the Bay of Plenty region, began erupting about 2.11pm local time

White Island, 48km from the Bay of Plenty region, began erupting about 2.11pm local time

‘Now, sadly, this effervescent mans life has come to an end being the first deceased to be identified. The word devastation comes to mind here-in totality.

‘While I’m finding it most difficult to come to terms with all this horrible revelation I can’t imagine what his family is going through! My heart and thoughts go out to them in this most difficult of times.’ 

Family and friends have also been waiting in agony for news of a second tour guide, Tipene Maangi, 24, who has been working with White Island Tours since September.

His grandmother was among a group of desperate family members waiting at Whakatāne Wharf for an update on possible survivors.

‘We’re hoping he may have found a cave but knowing him, he would have been helping others before he thought about himself,’ she told the New Zealand Herald.

Friends of tour guide Hayden Marshall-Inman (pictured) immediately paid tribute to 'the biggest guy with the biggest heart' and said he was 'one of the nicest blokes I'll ever know'

Friends of tour guide Hayden Marshall-Inman (pictured) immediately paid tribute to ‘the biggest guy with the biggest heart’ and said he was ‘one of the nicest blokes I’ll ever know’ 

She said her family were still holding out hope that he may be alive. 

‘We have to, don’t we? I haven’t been listening to the news at all, I don’t want to.’

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. 

As of Tuesday evening, six people have been confirmed dead, with fears the final death toll could reach 14 including eight people who are still missing. 

Police said the sixth victim was being treated in hospital before dying of their injuries late Tuesday. 

Thirty people are still being treated in hospital – some with 90 per cent burns – and three have been treated and released. Pete Watson, New Zealand’s chief medic, said it is possible that ‘not all’ of the wounded will survive. 

In total 47 tourists were on White Island when it erupted, among them: 24 from Australia, nine from the US, five from New Zealand, four from Germany, two from the UK, two from China and one from Malaysia.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said three Australians are among the dead, without naming them. Malaysia’s embassy has also confirmed one of its citizens is among the dead, without identifying them. The only fatality to have been identified so far is Hayden Marshall-Inman, a tour guide from New Zealand.  

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

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

 

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