Death toll from New Zealand eruption rises to 17 as authorities continue harrowing mission to retrieve remaining two bodies from the island

New Zealand Defense Forces

• New Zealand police said in a statement on December 23 that one person who was injured after one of New Zealand's most active volcanoes erupted earlier this month has died from their injuries, bringing the total death toll from the incident to 17. 
• Dozens more remain in the hospital with serious burns and injuries.
• New Zealand's geological monitoring agency, GeoNet, said the eruption began at around 2:11 p.m. local time on Whakaari, also known as White Island, a popular tourist spot which features an active volcano.
• Police are continuing a mission to retrieve two bodies from the island. 
• Police last week said the environment was "highly unpredictable and challenging," during the rescue mission.
• Police released the nationalities of 47 people who were on the island when the volcano erupted, which included 24 Australians, two Chinese nationals, four Germans, one Malaysian national, five New Zealanders, two people from the UK, and nine people from the US. 
• Police say it is too early to confirm whether there will also be a criminal investigation on the circumstances which allowed large numbers of people to visit the volcano before its eruption.
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New Zealand police said in a statement on December 23 that one person who was injured after one of New Zealand's most active volcanoes erupted earlier this month has died from their injuries, bringing the total death toll from the incident to 17. 

Deputy Commissioner John Tims said that the unidentified person died in Middlemore Hospital in Auckland, New Zealand. 

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