Today in History - December 9 | 'I hit the water and it went black': How pilot survived volcano disaster
December 9
On December 9, 2019, the White Island Volcano eruption off New Zealand left 22 people dead, including 17 Australians.
White Island, the tip of an undersea volcano also known by its Māori name Whakaari, was a popular tourist destination before the eruption and was reached by boat or helicopter from the North Island's Bay of Plenty.
There were 47 tourists and tour guides — mostly from Australia and the US — on the island when superheated steam blew, killing some people instantly and leaving others with agonising burns.
Survivors had not been told the active volcano was dangerous when they paid to visit it.
They were not supplied with protective equipment, and many were wearing clothing that made their horrific burns more damaging.
Belgium-born helicopter pilot Brian Depauw was among the survivors. Rather than trying to reach his aircraft, he saved his life by sprinting to the water's edge and diving in.
"The minute I hit the water, it went black," he later recalled. Depauw's helicopter was crushed by the impact of the volcanic eruption.
Previously one of the world's deadliest diseases, smallpox is declared eradicated on December 9, 1980.
The disease killed 30 percent of those infected, with higher rates among babies. Those that survived often suffered blindness and extensive scarring.
Same-sex marriage became legalised in Australia on December 9, 2017, when changes to the Marriage Act were signed into law by the Governor-General.
It meant the right to marry was no longer determined by sex or gender
Earlier in the year, in a postal survey, a majority of Australians supported marriage equality.
Australian troops were part of a US-led multi-national military mission to Somalia launched on December 9, 1992, to ensure humanitarian supplies reached thousands of starving people.
Backed by the United Nations, Operation Restore Hope aimed to protect humanitarian operations, including food aid, and improve the security situation in lawless Somalia.
But heavily-armed warring factions made the mission a tough job, and in April 1993, tensions between the western forces and Somalian fighters spilled over in the bloody Battle of Mogadishu.
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