According to reports in NZ, four helicopters landed on White Island in the immediate aftermath of the eruption, and rescued all the victims who were accessible - the eight left behind had almost certainly already passed away. One machine was a HEMS, the others were private aircraft.
The pilots - and the onboard paramedic(s) in the HEMS - willingly took themselves and their aircraft into an extremely hazardous landing zone: the wrecked machine shown in the first post being a visible warning to them all. For all any of them knew, the volcano could let loose again at any time.
Thanks and major applause to those crews