Five people are dead, eight are reported missing, and more than 30 people were hospitalized after a volcano erupted at a New Zealand tourist spot on Monday.
The eruption occurred at 2:11 p.m. local time and sent thick plumes of ash into the air, The Washington Post reported. Many visitors were on White Island at the time of the blast and according to authorities, reconnaissance flights over the area found “no signs of life at any point.”
My god, White Island volcano in New Zealand erupted today for first time since 2001. My family and I had gotten off it 20 minutes before, were waiting at our boat about to leave when we saw it. Boat ride home tending to people our boat rescued was indescribable. #whiteisland pic.twitter.com/QJwWi12Tvt
— Michael Schade (@sch) December 9, 2019
Among the missing and injured are New Zealanders and tourists from Australia, Great Britain, the U.S., and Malaysia who were part of a Royal Caribbean cruise tour group, CBSNews noted.
“Police believe that anyone who could have been taken from the island alive was rescued at the time of the evacuation,” authorities said in a statement obtained by The Washington Post. “Based on the information we have, we do not believe there are any survivors on the island.”
White Island eruption was also visible on satellite images. ^AJ pic.twitter.com/Cx4LYHr9Ie
— MetService (@MetService) December 9, 2019
It’s unclear what type of explosion took place on the island, but Forbes pointed out that it may have been on a moderate scale, due to its short duration, injuries on site, and temporary ash plume. People close to the blast may have been injured by the shockwave of the explosion and molten debris.
“My god, White Island volcano in New Zealand erupted today for first time since 2001. My family and I had gotten off it 20 minutes before, were waiting at our boat about to leave when we saw it,” Michael Schade, a man who witnessed the explosion from his boat, said in a tweet. “Boat ride home tending to people our boat rescued was indescribable.”
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern addressed the incident at a news conference this morning.
“In this moment in time, the absolute focus needs to be the search-and-rescue operation. There will be a time and a place to undertake further assessments,” Ardern told reporters. “Now, we have to focus on allowing the police to do their job and focus on those who were in the vicinity of the island at the time.”
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