“It is very shocking and we thank God for the new lease of life we got,” says Bhavya Merin Mathew who, together with her husband, narrowly escaped the devastating White Island’s Whakaari volcanic eruption in New Zealand.
The volcano erupted on Monday the 9th December at 2.11 pm (NZ time), killing at least 14 people, with many unaccounted for. Six Australians are known to have died but that number is expected to rise with formal identification of bodies.
According to New Zealand media, of the 47 people on the island at the time of the eruption, 24 were from Australia, nine from the United States, five from New Zealand, four from Germany, two from China, two from the UK and one from Malaysia.
Bhavya joined her husband Rejo Varghese in Sydney in October from India and together they embarked on a trip to New Zealand for their honeymoon.
Ash spews into the air on White Island, off the coast of Whakatane, New Zealand. Source: Lillani Hopkins
The couple were planning to visit White Island the day of the eruption. But they said a last-minute schedule change saved their lives.
“My wife just arrived in Sydney in October on a visiting visa few months after our marriage. She had to exit the country after three months of stay. That’s when we planned to spend a few days in New Zealand,” Rejo told SBS Malayalam.
Rejo Varghese and Bhavya Mathew in NZ enjoying holidays Source: Supplied
“We were very much impressed with the flyers and advertisements of this volcano. It was so enticing.
"We have never witnessed one of such in our life. So we decided to visit White Island on the last day of our trip which was on Monday the 9th of December.”
The couple left their hotel, planning to visit White Island after breakfast at a local restaurant.
"However, to our surprise the breakfast was served 45 minutes late, messing up our whole schedule for the day. My wife was so adamant that she wanted to take a break in the hotel room before heading to the airport.
"Our hotel was three hours away from airport. So the delayed breakfast and Bhavya’s decision forced us to cancel the trip to the island leaving behind an unfulfilled wish.
Because the schedule was clashing with our flight time which was at 7.40 pm. This made us change our plan that saved us from this natural calamity,” says Rejo.
"It was a very hard decision from our side to miss the view of an active volcano. But now we are happy and relieved." says Bhavya to SBS Malayalam.
Source: Supplied
"We heard the news of its eruption while we were at the airport. At first we were not sure which volcano it is. After landing in Sydney we were getting messages from our friends asking if we are safe. That's when we checked the news.
"It was shocking. We are thankful to God for saving us. It is the first time in life that I have faced such a situation,” Bhavya said.
A satelite image of White Island shows it a day after Monday's eruption. Source: AAP
I think the government should give more warnings and information to the tourists to avoid such incidents, adds Bhavya.
Worried relatives
Rejo’s and Bhavya’s Melbourne-based relatives were also in shock after hearing the tragic news.
“In the evening on Monday when we came across the breaking news of the volcanic eruption, we were very much tensed and worried,” Rejo’s sister Rexi Reji said.
“It was a very lucky escape. We never expected such a thing to happen in New Zealand. After conveying it to our parents back in India they also were shocked,” adds Rexi.
As bodies are retrieved from the island, the process of disaster victim identification is underway. Questions are also being asked as to why tourists were allowed to access an extremely active volcano.
