Volcanic eruption on White Island (New Zealand): A honeymooning couple suffers severe burns

The next thing Barbara Barham heard from her daughter was a phone call from the cruise company shortly after midnight (local time). Royal Caribbean officials wanted to know if Matthew and Lauren had contacted their families because neither of them returned on board after the trip to the volcanic island. Only then did the mother realize that something bad had happened.

Shortly thereafter, Barbara's phone rang again, she told the Washington Post. This time it was Matthew's mother who received a worrying voice message from the 36-year-old. The man apparently reported on his way to the hospital and said that he and Lauren were on the island when the volcano suddenly erupted. They both suffered severe burns.

The mother told the newspaper: “He said he would call as soon as possible, but it was difficult for him to talk or make calls.” Her brother-in-law's hands were apparently so badly burned that he could barely hold his cell phone. Lauren was also taken to hospital with severe burns.

And then there was no sign of life from either of them. The couple's family is in panic. “I don’t know how to react,” Barbara told the newspaper. “I feel like I should cry, but I can't even cry.”