Twenty-one unidentified victims of the Tangiwai disaster were buried in the Karori Lawn Cemetery, Wellington, on 31 December 1953. The coffins were placed side by side in a large grave. Ponga ferns and wreaths sent from all around the country were laid at the graveside. Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh (centre), attended the funeral and is seen here talking to the families of some of the victims. Later it was discovered that several of the victims had been misidentified, and these bodies were exhumed. Eventually 16, including eight who were never identified, were interred at the Tangiwai National Memorial at Karori Cemetery, which was dedicated in 1957.
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Alexander Turnbull Library, National Publicity Studios Collection
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1/2-042943; F
Photograph by E. Woollett
Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.
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