Jesse and his family were in New Zealand to celebrate his dad's birthday. He is the only survivor.

When Jesse Langford wakes up, he’ll be faced with the news he’s the only member of his immediate family to survive his dad’s birthday holiday to New Zealand.

The 19-year-old is one of the surviving victims of the White Island volcano explosion, and he remains in hospital with burns to 80-90 per cent of his body, reports The Australian.

His parents Anthony and Kristine were killed when the volcano erupted last Monday, and his 17-year-old sister, Winona, is one of the two people still on the island presumed dead.

The family was on board the 12-day cruise Ovation of the Seas, which many of the victims came from.

The Langford's extended family initially thought they had lost Jesse, until they eventually found him in a New Zealand hospital. He has since been transferred back to his hometown of Sydney, where he remains in a coma.

“Jesse is recovering in hospital, receiving excellent care,” the family said in a statement.

“Anthony and Kristine, loving parents to Jesse and Winona, were a wonderful couple and devoted to both their immediate and ­extended families. They will be greatly missed by all who knew them."

Jesse is a student at the University of Technology, his sister was at Willoughby Girls High. Their family was well known and well loved in the north Sydney area.

LinkedIn says Anthony worked in IT at Sydney Water, while his wife Kristine described herself as a stay-at-home mum - she was interested in home design, art and fitness.

A friend of Kristine's wrote on Facebook last night, "Kristine's mother Carol passed away earlier this year and this tragedy is more than any family can or ever should have to go through. Kristine was a sweet person with a big heart and a happy personality and was well loved by many".

He remembers her as a "wonderful and loving wife and mother".

On Friday, a military team brought eight bodies back to the mainland after undertaking a dangerous retrieval mission on White Island. Winona is believed to be one of the two bodies that remain. New Zealand tour guide, Hayden Marshall-Inman, is also unaccounted for.

The family of four are among 15 Australian residents killed in the disaster. Barbara and Martin Hollander and their two teenage boys, Matthew and Berend, were also from the north Sydney area.

Queenslanders Julie Richards, 47, and her daughter Jessica, 20, were on the same ship as the Langfords and also took up the offer of heading out on the volcano tour day trip - as did Coffs Harbour friends Richard, Jason and Karla.

Adelaide schoolgirl Zoe Hosking, 15, her stepfather Gavin Dallow, 53, and 21-year-old Krystal Browitt from Melbourne also died. Two New Zealanders were killed, one other victim remains unnamed.

The victims that remain alive and critically injured, suffered chemical burns when the volcano exploded. Plastic surgery consultant Michelle Locke told Radio New Zealand cadaver skin will be needed to repair the skin. She also mentioned that many of the victims had lung and airway injuries that were different to what they'd ever seen before.

There are currently 13 victims in hospitals in both Sydney and Melbourne who have a long, hard road ahead of them.

When Jesse wakes up, it's not just his own condition he'll be faced with. He'll also be faced with the reality of life without his entire immediate family.