New Zealand has ordered nearly 1,300 square feet of skin from the United States to treat burn victims from a recent volcanic eruption.
A volcano on White Island erupted suddenly on Monday, catching New Zealand officials and dozens of tourists by surprise. Hospitals across the country are at max capacity treating 29 burn victims rescued from the disaster.
New Zealand has ordered 1,290 square feet of skin to treat patients, some of whom suffered burns over 90% of their bodies, according to Fox News. Twenty-six of the patients suffered burns over at least 30% of their bodies.
New Zealand officials report a death toll of six. Emergency crews are still working to find eight missing people who are being presumed dead until found. Volcanic activity has hampered recovery efforts and forced crews to keep their distance from the island for hours at a time.
The White Island volcano erupted on Monday, spewing clouds of scalding ash and steam into the air, quickly covering the entire island. Nearly 50 tourists from all over the world were on the island when the eruption took place. Many leaped into the ocean to escape the ash and steam. Most were pulled out of the water later with severe burns.
“It was awful, just horrific,” said John Bonning, president of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine. “Saying it was like a war zone would not be an understatement.”
WATCH: Dramatic video shows moment volcano erupts at White Island in New Zealand; an unknown number of people are missing pic.twitter.com/Ei8uMysms4
— BNO News (@BNONews) December 9, 2019
