Atlanta, GA, December 26, 2019: Mayuari Singh, an Atlanta based mother of three small children, passed away after suffering extensive burns in the devastating December 9 eruption of the White Island/Whakaari volcano in New Zealand.
Police said Singh died on December 22 at Middlemore Hospital
in Auckland.
Her husband Pratap Singh Chauhan, who is president of the Atlanta chapter of
Sewa International, is recovering from his injuries, but is reportedly stable.
The Singh family was on a cruise in Australia and New Zealand when the tragedy
occurred.
A funeral and prayer meet held for Singh on December 30 was
well attended by members of the Indian-American community. The couple is
well-known for their charitable endeavors.
There were 47 people on or near the island at 2.11 p.m. on December 9 when
Whakaari/White Island erupted, spewing gas and ash into the air.
The police later confirmed the deaths of the 17 persons, with two more
officially still listed as missing.
A total of 25 people were still recovering in hospitals around New Zealand and
Australia.
The New Zealand Ministry of Health said that of the 25, nine were in critical
condition, The New Zealand Herald reported.
Thirteen patients were transferred to Australia. One of those patients has
since died.
