Convictions of island owners where 22 died in eruption overturned

Tourists on a boat look at the eruption of the volcano on White Island, New Zealand (Michael Schade via AP)

The owners of an island volcano in New Zealand where 22 tourists and local guides died in an eruption had their criminal conviction for failing to keep visitors safe thrown out by a judge on Friday.

The ruling absolves the company from paying millions of dollars in restitution to the families of those bereaved in the 2019 explosion on Whakaari, also known as White Island, and two dozen seriously injured survivors.