WHAKATANE, New Zealand — A military team in New Zealand on Friday morning recovered the bodies of six people killed in a volcanic eruption on Monday on White Island but failed to find two others, undertaking a daring recovery mission even as the threat of another eruption loomed.

The six bodies that were found were airlifted to a patrol vessel moored in the Bay of Plenty, the HMNZS Wellington, and were expected to be flown later to Auckland to be formally identified.

The recovery team returned from the island, also known by its Maori name, Whakaari, without two other victims known to have been killed.

Col. Rian McKinstry, who was part of the command leading the Friday operation, said the team on the ground had to end its search because its air supplies were dwindling. But officials said the search would be continued from the air and the water, since one of the two victims whose bodies were not recovered was believed to have been swept into the bay. A dive team will be redeployed on Saturday to search for that body.