▶️ The families of the New Zealand volcano victims are greeted by police at a recovery briefing, Thursday, December 12, in Whakatane. Two military helicopters took off, Friday, December 13, from Whakatane for White Island where the eruption occurred Monday. 👉 New Zealand troops launch a perilous mission to recover bodies from a volcanic island that is threatening to erupt again. Authorities had been holding off on sending search crews to retrieve the bodies because of the volcano's continued instability. Seismologists with New Zealand's GeoNet seismic monitoring agency said Wednesday there remains a 40-to-60% chance of another major eruption. Poisonous gas continues to vent out of the volcano's crater and the island is covered in acidic ash. The death toll rose Wednesday to eight, as two more victims who had been rescued from the island died in the hospital. At least 27 survivors suffered burns over more than 71% of their bodies; of that number, 22 are on airway support due to the severity of their burns. Health officials have said they need an extra 1.2 million square centimeters of skin to provide grafts for the victims. (VOA/Reuters/AFP) ------ LINK: https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/new-zealand-send-crews-recover-bodies-volcanic-island