In 2019, a cruise ship docked near Whakaari White Island off the coast of New Zealand. Not just an island, Whakaari also is one of New Zealand’s most active volcanos, which makes it a popular tourist destination. Unfortunately, when passengers disembarked for a geological adventure tour, the volcano sprang to life. It left 22 people dead and 25 injured from burns as fierce steam rose from the caldera.
A lawsuit ensued from folks and their lawyers claiming that GNS Science (the earth-science research agency of New Zealand) failed to issue an appropriate alert-level bulletin for the volcano. They said GNS was criminally liable for deaths and injuries among the tourists. Before the eruption, GNS had raised the alert level for Whakaari from one to two, thus indicating an increased risk level, but not a level three, which indicates imminent eruption.