A newly-wed American couple who were horrifically burnt in the deadly Whakaari-White Island eruption are taking legal action against the cruise line and a New Zealand tour company.
The Daily Mail reports Matthew and Lauren Urey are suing Royal Caribbean for negligence, claiming the cruising company had ample warning the volcano was on the brink of erupting but did not take steps to warn passengers signed up for the crater excursion.
Local tour management company ID Tours is listed as a co-defendant in the action, which is to be lodged in the Miami District Court in the US.
The eruption, which took place on December 9, killed 21 people including two local tour guides. Two victims who succumbed to the molten ash explosion have never been found.
The couple's attorney Michael Winkleman said his clients and all victims of the eruption deserve justice over the horrifying incident.
In a chilling account of the moment the volcano off the Bay of Plenty coast erupted, the British newspaper says the married couple from Richmond, Virginia, were unable to find refuge when white smoke began billowing from a crater lake. Both were left with life-changing injuries.
"My body was literally sizzling," said Lauren, 33.