(CNN) The bodies of two people missing after a volcano erupted on New Zealand's White Island last week likely washed out to sea and may never be found, police said Wednesday.

White Island , also known as Whakaari, erupted on December 9 while 47 people were visiting the volcano , which is about 48 kilometers (30 miles) off the coast of New Zealand's North Island. At least 16 people were killed and two others remain unaccounted for.

They are Australian tourist Winona Langford, 17, and New Zealander Hayden Marshall-Inman, 40, who was a tour guide.

Police Deputy Commissioner Mike Clement told a news conference on Wednesday that a dive squad and helicopters will continue to search for the two missing bodies for a day or two longer.

"The reality is we have to wait for Mother Nature to produce those bodies, and it may and it may not. And the reality is, we'll be here if it does," he said. "We are literally in the hands of the sea."

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