Boys From Northbrook Dead, Parents Missing In New Zealand Volcano

NORTHBROOK, IL — A North Shore native and her Australian husband are missing and their two children are confirmed dead following Monday's volcanic eruption in New Zealand, according to multiple reports.

Barbara Hollander, 48, and Martin Hollander, 50, remained unaccounted for Thursday. Their sons, 16-year-old Berend and 13-year-old Matthew, were confirmed dead in a statement from the headmaster of the school they attended in suburban Sydney.

Knox Grammar School Headmaster Scott James said Berend, who went by Ben, was passionate about software design and Australian rules football, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. His younger brother had been elected as a mentor representative last year, he said.

"Ben's engaging smile and quirky sense of humour made him a good mate to his close group of friends and a welcome member to every classroom," James said.

"Matthew was involved in cadets and representing the school in basketball, squash and debating," he said. "[He] had a close circle of friends and was popular amongst his peers."

The Hollanders lived in Northbrook for about five years before moving to Australia around 2015, a former neighbor told the Chicago Sun-Times. The brothers attended Wescott School in Northbrook/Glenview District 30, and the neighborhood threw a going-away party before they relocated back to Martin Hollander's hometown of Sydney. Other former Northbrook neighbors told WLS-TV that the Hollanders were always helpful.

Mrs. Hollander was born in Skokie, and her parents, who now live in Glenview and Florida, said they plan to hold a celebration of her life in the Chicago area in the summer or fall of next year, according to the station.

"We are together with our family grieving the loss of our loved ones," they said in a statement. "Our amazing daughter, Barbara Hollander and our son-in-law, Martin Hollander were a wonderful couple and parents to our grandsons. We appreciate all the support."

The family had been on vacation on the cruise ship Ovation of the Seas, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. They are believed to have been on a shore excursion to White Island at the time of the eruption.

New Zealand police said a military team plans to land on the island Friday in an effort to retrieve the bodies of victims despite the risk of another eruption, The Associated Press reported.

"We have a plan," Police Deputy Commissioner Mike Clement told reporters Thursday. "There is not a zero risk with regard to this plan. It does come with risk. ... They will go onto the island, and they will make every effort to recover all of the bodies from the island."

At the time of the deadly volcanic explosion, there were 47 tourists and their guides on the island. The bodies of eight of the 16 people killed in the incident remain on the island, according to the AP.

Medical staff in New Zealand said 28 people remained hospitalized, with 23 of them in critical condition, the AP reported. Dr. Peter Watson, a chief medical officer, told reporters Thursday hospital staff expect to need an additional 1,300 square feet of skin to provide grafts for severely burned patients.