After days of planning and risk assessment, police say they will return to Whakaari White Island on Friday morning to bring back the bodies of those still there.
Eight people remain on the island - missing and presumed dead. It has been a harrowing few days for their friends and whānau, with growing frustration over police refusing to go back to the island until a safety plan was in place.
Police deputy commissioner Mike Clement is now briefing those families on the return plan and will speak to media when that wraps up.
The police recovery plans come despite GNS putting the likelihood of another eruption in the next 24 hours at 50 to 60 percent. GNS says the island remains highly volatile.
On Thursday afternoon senior scientist Graham Leonard showed media a map indicating the level of risks relevant to each area on the volcanic island.
Police indicated the bodies on the island were within 300 metres of the shoreline, clustered in groups in a 200 metre radius.
They also said their plan for bringing the bodies back is to get in and out as fast as possible.
Health authorities have also been providing updates on the condition of the dozens of people seriously injured in the blast.
On Thursday there were 21 patients in burns units, the repatriation to Australia has been going well and has taken significant pressure off the burns units, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said, and seven Australian patients have been returned to Australia.
Six are planned to be transferred in the next 24 hours.
