A volcano erupted on New Zealands White Island on Monday afternoon, killing at least five people and injuring as many as 20 others. Officials warned that several tourists who were visiting the site remained unaccounted for.
First-responders and law enforcement personnel were hampered in their efforts to search for the missing as White Island was still too dangerous hours after the eruption, authorities said. The island is a small tourist site located about 30 miles offshore of New Zealands mainland.
The countrys science agency, GeoNet, said the volcano erupted shortly after 2 p.m. The agency issued a level 4 volcanic alert at the time (a level 5, the highest on the scale, represents a major eruption), saying the event was a short-lived one that sent ash about 12,000 feet into the sky.
Tourist Michael Schade, an engineering manager from San Francisco who shared videos of the eruption on Twitter, said he was about to depart White Island when disaster struck.
My god, he tweeted. My family and I had gotten off [the volcano] 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.
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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
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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
pic.twitter.com/NcFiCWi2Yf
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New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said during a news briefing about 50 people were on or near the island when the volcano erupted.
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Some of those, at this stage, are unaccounted for, Ardern said of the tourists. A number of people are reportedly injured and are being transported to shore.
Tourists who were on the scene said they saw individuals that appeared to have serious burns, The Guardian reported .
LATEST: At least five people killed and many more remain missing after volcano erupted on small island in New Zealand, officials say. https://t.co/vMbtpqkJDj pic.twitter.com/6YJkNc5zi7
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and Environment","slug":"nature-and-environment","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/nature-and-environment","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/nature-and-environment","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/nature-and-environment"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/nature-and-environment"},{"name":"new zealand","slug":"new-zealand","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/new-zealand","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/new-zealand","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/new-zealand"},"relegenceId":3847303,"department":{"name":"Latest News","slug":"politics-news"},"section":{"title":"World News","slug":"world-news"},"topic":{"title":"New Zealand","slug":"new-zealand","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/news/topic/new-zealand"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["\r\n\r\n","\r\n\r\n","\r\n\r\n"],"adCount":0},"isCollectionEmbed":false,"enhancements":{}}">LATEST: At least five people killed and many more remain missing after volcano erupted on small island in New Zealand, officials say. https://t.co/vMbtpqkJDj pic.twitter.com/6YJkNc5zi7
ABC News (@ABC) December 9, 2019
New Zealand Police Deputy Commissioner John Tims said later Monday that at least five people had been killed during the eruption.
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He added that 23 people some of whom were believed to be from a cruise ship known as Ovation of the Seas, which is owned by Royal Caribbean had been rescued from the island.
Tims said he could not yet confirm the nationalities of the people impacted by the disaster.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a tweet that Australians have been caught up in this terrible event and we are working to determine their wellbeing.
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