Almost one year ago, a relatively small blast from the crater of New Zealand's Whakaari (White Island) turned what might have been a breath-taking tour of a volcano into a tragedy in an instant. The explosion, driven by water rapidly flashing in steam by the heat of magma beneath the volcano, sent ash and debris out from the crater lake on the island. This superheated mix of steam and rocks killed 22 people and injured dozens more. It was a volcanic disaster that might have been prevented, but how to judge who might be to blame?
After a long investigation, New Zealand's WorkSafe is leveeing charges on 13 parties over the tragedy. Some are businesses like the tour operators and helicopter companies. There are also three individuals who were charged with negliance. However, GNS Science, New Zealand's volcano monitoring agency, was also charged.
