Atlanta woman injured in New Zealand volcano eruption dies

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

woman from metro Atlanta has died after being caught in a volcanic eruption in New Zealand.

WSB-TV reported earlier this month that a DeKalb County couple was touring White Island when the volcano erupted Dec. 9.

The eruption severely burned Pratap and Mayuri Singh, who lived in Stone Mountain.

Mayuri Singh died Sunday in a New Zealand hospital, according to ABC News.

Eighteen other people have been confirmed dead as a result of the White Island eruption. More than two dozen other people were hospitalized with severe burns.

Several of those killed and injured were Australian tourists who had been traveling aboard the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Ovation of the Seas. Many people have questioned why tourists were still allowed on the island after New Zealand’s GeoNet seismic monitoring agency raised the volcano’s alert level on Nov. 18 from 1 to 2 on a scale where 5 represents a major eruption, noting an increase in sulfur dioxide gas, which originates from magma.

New Zealand authorities are investigating the circumstances around the disaster.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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