3 New Zealand tour operators plead guilty to safety breaches in deadly eruption of volcano

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Three helicopter tour operators have pleaded guilty to safety breaches when New Zealand’s White Island volcano erupted in 2019, claiming 22 lives. The companies were to go on trial next week along with six other entities and people following the tragedy at the island, which had been a popular tourist attraction. There were 47 people on White Island, the tip of an undersea volcano also known by its indigenous Maori name Whakaari, when superheated steam erupted, leaving most of the 25 who were not killed with severe burns. Many people question why tourists were allowed to visit the island after experts monitoring seismic activity raised the volcano’s alert level two weeks before the eruption.