CCTV footage captured at the wharf after the Whakaari eruption showed dozens of emergency staff rushing towards the ash-covered White Island Tours boat. Photo: Supplied / Ministry of Justice
Warning: This story contains graphic details of injuries
Helping victims of the Whakaari eruption off their rescue boat was the "most confronting scene" of a Bay of Plenty police officer's career.
Ōpōtiki-based senior sergeant Richard Miller gave evidence on Wednesday at the ongoing coronial inquest into the fatal 2019 eruption.
He described seeing the first group of victims arriving at the Whakatāne Wharf onboard The Phoenix, a White Island Tours boat that rescued 26 people from the volcano.
CCTV footage captured at the wharf was played earlier in the inquest and showed dozens of emergency staff rushing towards the ash-covered boat.
Miller was among them.
"Every sense that you have was involved. What you could see, what you could hear," he recalled.
"You could smell it, even taste it in your mouth, you know, the ash. On the boat you could taste it.
"The anguish, the volume of anguish. People calling out for their loved ones."
Miller said the severity of the injuries did not sink in until he saw them in person.
"The nature of the injuries, [we knew] people were coming back with burns, but nothing prepares you for what a volcanic eruption burn looks like," he said.
"In my then 36 years [in the police], probably the most confronting scene I had seen."
The senior sergeant was visibly emotional as he described helping some of the victims.
"I recall helping one man from the boat, he was wearing only shorts and the skin from his arms was hanging from the ends of his fingers. He could barely walk due to the injuries to his legs," he said.
"I asked for a stretcher for him, but he whispered to me he would not be able to lie down. At that stage I noticed he had no skin left on his back."
He also attempted to help a couple.
"I recall another couple on the boat sitting together. She was wailing in pain, and he was quiet and, on the face of it, seemed to be in better shape than his partner," Miller said.
"He insisted that she be treated first. I later became aware they had both passed."
Miller applauded the actions of all agencies involved in the response, and said there was nothing more they could do under the circumstances.
"The professionalism, caring and empathy of all our staff from every agency was a standout for me," he said.
"The teams from all agencies did their very best to comfort, reassure and assist in any way possible. I was so proud to be wearing a police uniform that day."
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
