The cruise giant has applied to the Australian Federal Court in an attempt to prohibit two families affected by the disaster from pursuing legal proceedings.

The eruption resulted in 22 deaths, with many still recovering from the traumatic event that occurred during a cruise ship excursion on the New Zealand island last year.

The cruise giant will face a class action from the families of tourists killed in the White Island volcano eruption for alleged negligence.

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New Zealand police have conceded the chances of finding the two missing victims of the White Island eruption are slim.