Prime Minister Scott Morrison says 10 Australians are missing, presumed dead, after the New Zealand volcano explosion.
Of the 24 Australians known to have been on White Island when Monday’s explosion occurred.
Another 10 are “missing and presumed deceased”, Mr Morrison said on Thursday as he foreshadowed a rise in the official death toll.
“In the days ahead, there will be worse news, based on what I’ve just relayed to you,” he said.
Mr Morrison also confirmed five injured Australians have already been flown home, with seven more to follow over the next 24 hours.
THE AUSTRALIAN TOLL SO FAR
* Julie Richards, 47, and her daughter Jessica, 20
The Brisbane pair were named by New Zealand police on Wednesday as the first two Australians killed in the disaster.
Jessica was studying veterinary science at the University of Queensland. She was a promising AFL player with a fondness for animals. Julie was a part-owner of a company based on the Gold Coast.
The pair had been travelling on the Royal Caribbean cruise liner.
* Gavin Dallow, 53
Adelaide lawyer Gavin Dallow was confirmed dead on Wednesday.
“We mourn the loss of Gavin and Zoe,” Mr Dallow’s father, Brian, told reporters in Adelaide on Wednesday afternoon.
“Gavin was a wonderful son and brother. We’ll miss him at the cricket and we’ll miss him at the football. He was a generous man, always helping his family and his community.
* Zoe Hosking, 15
Step-daughter of Gavin Dallow, Zoe is missing presumed dead on White Island, but this is not officially confirmed.
A year 9 student at Adelaide’s St Aloysius College, Zoe had been travelling with Mr Dallow and his partner Lisa Hosking, who is recovering in hospital.
* Karla Mathews, 32 and Richard Elzer, 32, Jason Griffiths
The Coffs Harbour couple and their friend were confirmed dead in a joint statement issued by their friends and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) on Wednesday night.
Mr Griffiths died in hospital with burns to 80 per cent of his body.
The trio had been holidaying with a group of friends on the Royal Carribean Ovation of the Seas cruise ship when the volcano erupted.
* Berend Hollander, 16, and brother Matthew Hollander, 13
The brothers have been confirmed dead by their Sydney school Knox Grammar. Their parents Martin and Barbara Hollander remain unaccounted for.
“It is with the greatest sadness that I can confirm that Matthew Hollander (Year 8) and Berend (known as ‘Ben’) Hollander (Year 10) have passed away in hospital as a result of injuries sustained in the White Island volcano eruption,” the school’s headmaster Scott James wrote in a letter to parents. “Please take some time to reflect on the lives of Matthew and Ben and this devastating loss for our community.
* Krystal Browitt, 21
The Melbourne woman is missing, presumed dead but this is not officially confirmed.
Six more Australians are still unaccounted for on the Red Cross missing persons list:
Anthony Langford, 51, Sydney
Kristine Langford, Sydney
Winona Langford, 17, Sydney
Martin Hollander, 48, Sydney
Barbara Hollander, 50, Sydney
Joshua Qin, 5, Sydney
Some of the Australians in hospitals across New Zealand have been transported to Sydney and Melbourne on special RAAF flights.
-with AAP
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