'You could feel your skin sizzling': White Island survivors describe how their skin 'fell off' as they were sprayed with volcanic gas when the volcano erupted
- Matt and Lauren Urey were injured in the White Island volcano eruption last year
- The newlyweds have opened up harrowing ordeal six months on from explosion
- American couple were married in South Carolina two months before eruption
A newlywed couple who suffered severe burns in the White Island volcano eruption have described their harrowing ordeal, six months on from the tragedy that killed 21 people.
American couple Matt and Lauren Urey were honeymooning in New Zealand and were visiting the island off the coast of Whakatane on December 9, last year.
The pair were with a tour group exploring the island when ash silently mushroomed from the volcano's crater. Within seconds the couple were fleeing for their lives.
They sought shelter behind a rock near the water but the dark cloud of volcanic gas quickly enveloped the island.
As ash and debris rained down, Ms Urey gripped he husband's hand and told him she loved him.
'I thought it was only seconds until I would die,' Ms Urey told the New Zealand Herald on Tuesday.
American couple Matt and Lauren Urey were honeymooning in New Zealand when the deadly eruption happened off the coast of Whakatane on November 9, last year
The couple suffered severe burns from the explosion, they have spent the past six months recovering
Some 47 tourists - from New Zealand and overseas - were on or around the crater, located off the coast of the North Island, at the time of the blast
Share this article
'It was the darkest, most terrifying thing I've ever seen in my life. You couldn't see your hand in front of your face,' Mr Urey said.
'You could just feel your skin burning, sizzling. You could feel rocks pelting down on your hard hat,' he told 9news.
'If I grabbed something, my hand just slid off because my skin was peeling off.'
The couple were among the few who made it to island's jetty but Ms Urey had lost her respirator and was inhaling the noxious gas.
White Island, an active volcano, erupted on December 9 with 47 people on the island
Other survivors could be heard screaming for help from a nearby tour boat as their blistered skin peeled from their bodies.
The group were rescued by the boat, which had turned back to help despite the danger, but the victims had to endure a 90-minute ride to shore.
'It was torture,' Ms Urey said.
'I was absolutely convinced this was the end for both of us. I don't know how we ever survived,' Mr Urey.
The pair spent almost two months recovering from their injuries in separate hospitals.
They returned to the United States at the end of January and were treated in hospital until their release in mid-February.
The pair believe it was a miracle they survived the blast which killed 21 people.
The pair still need more surgeries to restore some of their mobility and lessen the scarring
Risking their lives, rescuers evacuated 39 survivors in the aftermath before conditions were deemed too dangerous for them to land
They expect to have to wear compression garments for another year.
They still need more surgeries to restore some of their mobility and lessen the scarring.
The Ureys were married in South Carolina just two months before the eruption.
Australian victims in White Island tragedy: The dead and injured
24 Australians were among 47 tourists on New Zealand's White Island when it erupted.
THE DEAD:
Julie Richards, 47, and her daughter Jessica, 20, from Brisbane.
Julie Richards, 47, and her daughter Jessica, 20, (pictured) from Brisbane are among the dead
Martin Hollander and his wife Barbara
Martin Berend Hollander, 48, from Sydney.
His two sons Berend, 16, and Matthew, 13, who attended Sydney's Knox Grammar, both died in hospital after suffering serious injuries in the blast.
According to his Linkedin profile, Mr Hollander works at Transport for NSW as a freight initiatives manager.
He is also a director at a Singaporean investment management firm, Wipunen Incrementum Capital.
He was on a family holiday with his wife, who remains unaccounted for, and two kids, who were confirmed dead on Thursday.
Martin Berend Hollander, 48, from Sydney, was formally identified on Monday. His wife Barbara (left) is yet to be formally identified
Gavin Dallow, 53, and stepdaughter Zoe Hosking, 15, from Adelaide
The Hosking/Dallow family had been on a tour at the time of the eruption. Mum Lisa Dallow is among the injured in hospital. Her husband Gavin (right) 53, and 15-year-old daughter Zoe, from Adelaide, (left) were confirmed dead on Wednesday
Mr Dallow's body was identified by police from the five bodies recovered from the island. Zoe was formally identified as a victim on Sunday.
Karla Mathews, 32, and Richard Elzer, 32, from Coffs Harbour, NSW
Karla Mathews (left), 32, is dead as is boyfriend Richard Elzer (right), 32, from Coffs Harbour
The couple were identified as those tourists still on the island and therefore presumed dead by their families.
Jason Griffiths, 33, Coffs Harbour, NSW
Jason Griffiths, 33, from Coffs Harbour was taken to hospital in critical condition but died from his injuries on Wednesday
Jason Griffiths, 33, from Coffs Harbour, NSW, died from his injuries after being taken to hospital in critical condition.
He had been on a tour of the volcano with couple Karla Mathews, 32, and Richard Elzer, 32, who are now presumed dead, friends said.
Matthew (Year 8) and Berend Hollander (Year 10) from Sydney
Matthew (left, year eight) and Berend (right, year 10) Hollander were confirmed dead on Thursday morning
Knox Grammar schoolboy brothers Matthew, 13, and Berend, 16, Hollander.
They died in two New Zealand hospitals after escaping the island with horrific burns.
Their father Martin was confirmed dead.
Krystal Browitt, 21, from Melbourne, and her father Paul
Krystal Browitt was on the cruise for her 21st birthday with family
Ms Browitt was on the Ovation of the Seas cruise for her 21st birthday with family.
Mr Browitt died on 13 January in hospital.
Their mother Marie escaped death by staying on the cruise liner.
Anthony Langford, 51, and his wife Kristine Langford, 45, from Sydney
Anthony Langford, 51, (pictured with wife Kristine) had been among those still unaccounted for in the disaster. He was confirmed dead by police on Sunday
Kristine Langford, 45, from Sydney, is also among those dead.
The couple's 19-year-old son Jesse survived the volcano eruption, and is recovering in hospital with burns to 90 per cent of his body.
Mr Langford worked for Sydney Water.
Winona Langford, 17, Sydney
Police said Winona Lanford (pictured centre back row between her parents Anthony and Kristine) was one of the missing bodies still on White Island. She is not thought to have survived
NZ Police said one of the bodies still missing on White Island belonged to 17-year-old Winona Langford from Sydney.
Winona's mother and father have been confirmed dead.
Her body is either entombed on the deadly volcano island or is in the sea.
THE INJURED:
Lisa Dallow, 49, from Adelaide
Lisa Dallow (right with her husband Gavin who is missing), 49, from Adelaide
She was an induced coma in Hamilton Hospital, with 57 per cent of her body burnt.
Jesse Langford, 19, Sydney
Found: Jesse Langford (pictured with Michelle Spring, believed to be his girlfriend) is in hospital but his condition is not clear
He is reported to have suffered burns to 90 per cent of his body.
Comments 0
Share what you think
No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.
