Whakaari Management failed to provide visitors with protective equipment

The New Zealand firm that managed a volcanic island which erupted killing 22 people and 25 injured were on White Island also known as Whakaari in December 2019 when a deadly column of burning ash and steam blasted from a volcanic vent.

A court in Auckland found Whakaari Management which granted permits to visit the island failed to assess risk to visitors sufficiently, or provide them with protective equipment on Tuesday. The fatal eruption also left 25 people with horrific burns.

A second charge of ensuring the safety of those working on the island was dismissed.Whakaari Management will be sentenced next February. The guilty parties face fines of up to US$876,652. During a 10-week trial, the court heard that the island's owners made around US$620,000 a year from tourists before disaster struck.