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Police can confirm that another person has died as a result of injuries sustained from the Whakaari / White Island eruption on December 9, 2019.
Death brings the official death toll from the tragedy to 22.
The man was Horst Westenfelder, 64, who died on July 2, 2020, at a hospital abroad.
Westenfelder died of medical complications while receiving treatment for the injuries he received on Whakaari / White Island.
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His wife, Angelika Westenfelder, said the death was “unbelievable.”
“How many months my cheerful, sensible and strong husband fought for her life,” she said.
“I am grateful to everyone who thought of us and helped us through this difficult time.
Rosa Woods / Stuff
Memorials to the dead and wounded were left on the Whakatane boardwalk.
“He lost this battle and began his last journey in July. It is an irreplaceable loss for our family, his friends and, of course, for me. I will always miss you.”
The police relayed their thoughts to Westenfelder’s friends and family.
There were forty-seven people on the island at the time of the eruption: twenty-four Australians, nine Americans, five New Zealanders, four Germans, two Chinese, two British, and one Malaysian.
Almost all of the survivors were seriously or critically injured and treated in New Zealand hospitals, with Middlemore Hospital ordering 1.2 million square centimeters of skin to treat the injured.
THINGS
On the afternoon of Monday, December 9, Whakaari / White Island erupted as people visited the live volcano. The consequences were tragic.
A public event has been planned to commemorate the tragic eruption in the Mataatua Reserve, Whakatāne, at 11:30 am on December 9.
On the same day, a smaller ceremony for family members and emergency personnel will be held inside the Ngāti Awa at Te Mānuka Tūtahi Marae.
A minute’s silence will be observed at 2:11 p.m.
