Volcano survivor tells of heartbreaking decision to leave parents

An Australian survivor of a New Zealand volcano eruption is "still bothered" by having to leave his badly injured parents and seek help, a criminal trial has heard.

Jesse Langford, from Sydney, was 19-years-old when he joined his father Anthony, 51, mother Kristine, 46, and sister Winona, 17, on a family trip to New Zealand aboard the Royal Caribbean cruise liner Ovation of the Seas in late 2019.

Jesse would be left with burns to his hands, back and thighs, with his father, mother and sister killed on December 9, 2019 during a day trip to the Whakaari-White Island volcano located off New Zealand's northern coast.

Langford's video interview with police in April 2020 was played to Auckland District Court on Monday where Whakaari-White Island's owners, ID Tours and Tauranga Tourism Services are accused of safety breaches that resulted in the deaths of 22 people, including 14 Australians.

Like previous Australian witness Annie Yongan Lu, Langford said he was given no indication of any dangers before going on the trip and had only a short safety briefing on the day with no plans for emergencies.

He said his tour group including his family members were caught in a relatively flat and open area on their walk down from the crater when the volcano erupted.

Langford said he was thrown over a mound by the force of an eruption before curling up in the foetal position and covering his head with his hands after being hit in the face by a flying rock.

"I was being hammered by this sandstorm like in the movies where you can't see two metres in front of you. I was in so much pain," he said.

Once the eruption clouds lifted the island returned to the clear day it was before, except everything was covered in grey ash.

"Dad was sitting up and struggling to breathe while trying to get his gas mask off. Mum was not moving at all," Langford said.

He said he sat with the group for 15 to 20 minutes thinking about what he could do while feeling his whole body shot through with pain.

"I made the decision that I couldn't physically help anyone but I could let people know others had survived… it still bothers me making that decision to get up and walk away," Langford said.

He said his goodbyes as best he could and then started following the dry riverbeds down to the pier where they had arrived on the island.

"By this time my hands were pretty much degloved… I thought, 'Am I going to die here or I am going to keep going?'" Langford said.

After finding help at the pier and reaching a hospital, Langford fell into a coma for eight days and woke up back in Australia in an intensive care unit.

Winona's body was never found and New Zealand authorities concluded she was probably washed out to sea.

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