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A mother and daughter, still reeling from the aftermath of a tragic natural disaster that struck a popular tourist destination, have shared a touching story of generosity from a taxi driver who has since become a beloved part of their family.
Marie Browitt faced an unimaginable loss when a volcano erupted on White Island, located off New Zealand’s North Island, on December 9, 2019. This catastrophic event tragically took the lives of 22 tourists who were visiting as part of a cruise ship tour.
Among those who perished were Marie’s husband, Paul, aged 55, and her 21-year-old daughter, Krystal. Her eldest daughter, Steph, suffered critical injuries with severe burns covering over 70 percent of her body.
At the time just 23 years old, Steph endured six months of intensive medical treatment at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne. During this period, Marie remained steadfastly by her daughter’s side, sharing in her pain and recovery.
Yet, in those rare moments when Marie had to step away for a brief respite, she found solace in an unexpected companion—their taxi driver, who offered unwavering support during their darkest days.
Azamatlihan was working a regular shift as a taxi driver when he picked up Marie, who began crying in his car.
‘I asked, ‘Why are you crying?’ and she said, ‘We are victims of the volcano’. I was shocked. They’ve came back up from hell,’ Azamatlihan told 60 Minutes on Sunday.
Marie recalled: ‘He said, ‘Here’s my number. Any time of day, any time of night, I don’t care what time it is – you ring me and I will be there’. And he was.’
Marie (left) and Steph Browitt (right) lost two family members in the eruption at White Island in 2019. Steph suffered extensive burns in the tragedy and spent months in hospital
Melbourne taxi driver Azamatlihan (above) helped ferry the mother and daughter to and from hospital for several years as Steph underwent intensive treatment
The eruption at White Island in 2019 (above) claimed the lives of 22 tourists, including 17 Australians who had been on a cruise ship excursion
For several years Azamatlihan was the mother and daughter’s main transport to and from the hospital.
‘They see me like a family member. I have another family, you know. My own family and them,’ Azamatlihan said.
The Browitts have also remembered the kindness shown to them by the locals of Whakatāne, the town closest to White Island.
When the conditions were deemed too dangerous for helicopters to be sent to the volcanic island immediately after the 2019 eruption, several local helicopter pilots took off from the town to perform their own rescues.
Among those rescues was that of Krystal.
Marie and Steph were invited back to Whakatāne and got to meet with the heroes who witnessed their loved one’s last moments.
The mother finally got to have her most haunting questions answered – who was the last person to hold her daughter? Who picked her up off the island?
‘I don’t know what it was about the beautiful people, the warmth that we were immersed in and the love that surrounded us, but I felt some sort of peace,’ Marie said.
Stephanie lost her father Paul in the blast on December 9, 2019
‘I came back different. I can’t explain it, I can’t put it to words.
‘I want to go back. I wished I could live there so I could feel close to my child.
‘I feel a pull to this island. I really do.’
Marie was the only member of the family to stay on the Ovation of the Seas cruise ship when the volcano erupted.
Stephanie said because her mother wasn’t physically hurt by the eruption, nobody can understand the true depth of her pain and suffering.
She previously described how her mother had to pack the family’s holiday luggage and bring it back to their empty Melbourne home that was usually filled with love and laughter.
‘Then eventually she had to organise both my dad and sisters funeral. She went home alone in a taxi upon burying her family,’ she said.
Thirteen parties were charged over the the 22 people who died in the volcanic eruption. Of those, 17 were Australians.
Stephanie also lost her younger sister Krystal in the eruption
Tours to White Island continued despite warnings of a heightened risk of eruption, sparking an investigation into the volcano.
‘This deeply tragic event was unexpected. That does not mean it was unforeseeable,’ WorkSafe NZ chief executive Phil Parkes said.
‘There were 47 people on the island at the time of the eruption, all of whom suffered serious injuries and trauma.’