Warning: The content in this article may be distressing to some readers.
A horrifying video shows cruise ship tourists running for their lives from a volcano that killed 22 people.
The never-before-seen-footage has captured the precise moment the tourists realized a volcanic eruption was taking place right next to them from the top of Whakaari’s crater in New Zealand.
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Recorded on 9 December, 2019, the clip shows a group of about 18 passengers and guides watching the gray smoke rise before fleeing the scene screaming 'Run, run run!'. Take a look:
The volcano, located on White Island - once a popular sightseeing spot - went on to take the lives of nearly two dozen people - 17 of which were from Australia, while three were from the United States and the remaining two hailed from New Zealand.
Tourists have not been back to the once-popular destination ever since.
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People can be seen screaming, running and hiding behind rocks as Whakaari begins to erupt.
Earlier this week (11 July), marked the first day of what is anticipated to be 16-week criminal trial of three tourism companies and three directors who have been charged with safety breaches following the tragedy.
The trial heard that the volcano had showed indications of unrest weeks before the fatal eruption in the winter of 2019.
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The volcano was rated at Volcanic Alert Level 2 at the time of the disaster which has been defined by 'moderate to heightened volcanic unrest'.
If found guilty at the end of the trial, expected to last four months, all six parties could end up facing fines of up to NZ$1.5m (around $945,900).
The video in question is just one of many to be released during the trial after subsequently being recovered from the victims' devices.
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On top of the 22 deaths, only 25 people escaped from the disaster but were left injured after suffering from severe burns.
One of the tourists who made it off the island, 35-year-old Lauren Urey, from the US, told the court she was certain she and her new husband were going to die.
Speaking to the court on Wednesday (12 July), she said: "He was just screaming in agony. I’ve never heard him scream like that before. I remember he said he was sorry."
Urey continued: "I remember me screaming in agony. My body was sizzling. I said, 'I Iove you so much. I’m going to die today'.
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"I was positive we were going to die and if were we going to die, I wanted to be next to him."
Topics: Environment, Travel, World News
Rhiannon Ingle