“Victims of the White Island volcano disaster receive $10 million in reparations as the world watches.”

A New Zealand judge has awarded $NZ10.2 million ($9.5 million) to families of the victims of the Whakaari/White Island volcanic eruption. The judge sternly warned a company profiting from tours to the site that “the world is watching” its response to the sentence. Judge Evangelos Thomas sentenced four companies, either pleading guilty or found guilty for breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act over the tragedy. The eruption on December 9, 2019, engulfed forty-seven individuals, resulting in 22 fatalities, including 17 Australians, due to severe burns and blast injuries. Judge Thomas acknowledged the catastrophic impact on survivors and the 22 grieving families, two of whom never recovered their loved ones. WorkSafe sought reparation payments for the 25 survivors and the families of the deceased. White Island Tours was ordered to pay $NZ5 million in reparation and a $NZ517,000 fine.