A New Zealand company was found guilty of failing to stop the deaths brought on by a volcanic eruption

The management company of a volcanic island in New Zealand, which erupted in 2019 and killed 22 people, was found guilty on Tuesday of failing to provide tourists with sufficient protection.

A lethal column of flaming ash and steam erupted from a volcanic vent in December 2019, killing over fifty people on White Island, commonly known as Whakaari.

25 persons suffered horrendous burns as a result of the deadly explosion.

Whakaari Management was declared incompetent in an Auckland court to adequately “assess risk” to guests or to provide them with safety gear.

Judge Evangelos Thomas said, “This was crucial to ensuring that tours could be conducted safely.”

The second accusation, which concerned making sure island workers were safe, was dropped.

The management business was the final of the 13 people and entities who were initially accused of being responsible for the catastrophe.

Three of the brothers who own the island are among the six of the thirteen who had previously been found not guilty.

Whakaari Management, which issued licenses for visitors to the island, and the other six parties who entered guilty pleas will be punished in February of next year.

Penalties for the offending parties may reach NZ$1.5 million, or US$876,652.

Before the calamity, the island’s owners were earning around NZ$1 million (US$620,000) year from holidaymakers, the court heard throughout the course of a 10-week trial.

The disaster management agency in New Zealand was exonerated of any misconduct in May of last year.

No airplane or boat trips have been permitted to land on the island since the eruption.