Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

'No signs of life': Five killed and eight people missing after New Zealand volcano erupts on island

A total of 31 people are still in hospital and another three have been discharged.

LAST UPDATE | 9 Dec 2019

Volcano. PA Images PA Images

FIVE PEOPLE HAVE been killed, eight people are missing and 31 remain in hospital following an eruption on a volcanic island in New Zealand. 

The volcanic White Island in New Zealand erupted in a tower of ash and steam while dozens of tourists were exploring the moon-like surface this morning. 

Police said there are no indications that those who are missing survived the explosion. 

“Forty-seven people went onto the island – we can now confirm five are deceased, 31 are currently in hospital, a further eight are still missing and three have been discharged from hospital,” police official Bruce Bird said.

Among the missing are tourists from Australia, the United States, Britain, China and Malaysia.

A spokesperson from the Department of Foreign Affairs said the Irish Embassy in Wellington is “monitoring the situation closely”. 

“Anyone with concerns for Irish citizens in the region should contact the Department on 01 4082527.”

Volcano. White Island Tour operators rescuing people. Michael Schade / Twitter.com Michael Schade / Twitter.com / Twitter.com

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirmed that 47 people travelled to White Island on Monday.

A total of 31 people are still in hospital and another three have been discharged, Ardern said.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday morning local time, Ardern said that New Zealanders, as well as tourists from the UK, US, Australia, China and Malaysia, are among the missing and injured.

She said: “To those who have lost or are missing family and friends, we share in your unfathomable grief at this moment in time and in your sorrow.

Your loved ones stood alongside Kiwis who are hosting you here and we grieve with you and we grieve with them.

White Island erupted with a large plume of ash and steam on Monday while dozens of people were exploring New Zealand’s most active volcano.

Aerial footage showed “no signs of life” on the island following the eruption, according to New Zealand police, who said they do not expect to find any more survivors.

Rescue teams were unable to access the island on foot due to unstable conditions hours after the eruption, which occurred shortly after 2pm local time on Monday.

The New Zealand Red Cross activated the missing list to allow people to self-register as safe and well, or to register details of a person they have lost contact with.

Information on the list is submitted by members of public.

Angela Sutherland, general manager of disaster risk management at the New Zealand Red Cross, urged anyone worried about friends or family to “first contact them as you normally would”.

“Using your own channels can help to speed up the process and helps response agencies as well,” she said.

“If you cannot make contact, please register them through our Family Links website.”

White Island is in the Bay of Plenty, near the town of Tauranga on North Island.

The active volcano is a tourist hotspot but has erupted several times before, most recently in 2016 and during the 2012/13 period.

Brad Scott, a volcanologist with research group GNS Science, said the eruption sent a plume of steam and ash about 12,000ft into the air.

He said it had also affected the whole of the White Island crater floor.

The GeoNet agency, which monitors volcanoes and earthquakes in New Zealand, at first raised its alert level to four, on a scale where five represents a major eruption.

It later dropped the alert level back down to three.

Scott said that was because the eruption was not sustained beyond the initial blast.

White Island sits about 50 kilometres offshore from mainland New Zealand.

Already people are questioning why tourists were still able to visit the island after scientists recently noted an increase in volcanic activity.

White. PA Graphics PA Graphics

GeoNet raised the alert level on White Island from one to two on 18 November, noting an increase in the amount of sulphur dioxide gas, which originates from magma deep in the volcano.

It also said at the time that over the previous weeks, the volcanic tremor had increased from weak to moderate strength.

Scott said the alert level was often raised and then later dropped again without any eruption.

He said there had not been any major incidents with tourists visiting the island in the past, although there had been some close calls.

Scott said it was not for him to say whether the island was safe enough to host tourists immediately before Monday’s eruption.

“In the scheme of things, for volcanic eruptions, it is not large,” said Ken Gledhill, from GeoNet.

“But if you were close to that, it is not good.”

White Island is north east of the town of Tauranga on North Island, one of New Zealand’s two main islands.

Police were asking people to avoid areas on the North Island that were close to the eruption, including the Whakatane Heads and Muriwai Drive areas.

GeoNet said White Island is New Zealand’s most active cone volcano and about 70% of the volcano is under the sea.

Twelve people were killed on the island in 1914 when it was being mined for sulphur.

Part of a crater wall collapsed and a landslide destroyed the miners’ village and the mine itself.

The remains of buildings from another mining enterprise in the 1920s are now a tourist attraction, according to GeoNet.

The island became a private scenic reserve in 1953 and daily tours allow more than 10,000 people to visit the volcano every year.

The island is also known by the indigenous Maori name Whakaari.

- With reporting from AFP 

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

View 18 comments
Close
18 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Grant Masterson
    Favourite Grant Masterson
    Report
    Dec 9th 2019, 7:20 AM

    Thoughts to all. I visited this place 13 years ago. Amazing. The heat, smells, tbe colours, the journey to it, all made the trip memorable. We al knew the risks, its an active island. Guess we were lucky.

    164
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute John Considine
    Favourite John Considine
    Report
    Dec 9th 2019, 8:09 PM

    There’ll be rain in Kerry before the weekend. Every time there’s an earthquake, it rains in Kerry shortly afterwards.

    32
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jonathan Nolan
    Favourite Jonathan Nolan
    Report
    Dec 9th 2019, 7:18 AM

    There will be an earthquake in Italy soon so

    26
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Melina Roberts
    Favourite Melina Roberts
    Report
    Dec 9th 2019, 7:32 AM

    @Jonathan Nolan: are you a Geologist or are you working from a documented pattern? Just wondering?

    39
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jonathan Nolan
    Favourite Jonathan Nolan
    Report
    Dec 9th 2019, 7:39 AM

    @Melina Roberts: it’s just something I’ve noticed the past few years. Anytime there seems to be an earthquake or some form of seismic activity in NZ, there always seems to be an earthquake or volcano go off in Italy. I don’t have any proof of this or any figures or numbers. It’s just something I’ve personally noticed. It usually happens within a few hours or days.

    103
    See 6 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Tommy Roche
    Favourite Tommy Roche
    Report
    Dec 9th 2019, 8:48 AM

    @Jonathan Nolan: There is seismic activity of some description in Italy everyday. Seismic activity is also a daily occurrence in New Zealand. When a cow farts in Italy it’s a known fact that a cow in New Zealand will fart within minutes. When you understand the connection between the farting cows in both countries, you’ll have cracked the mystery of the seismic activity connection.

    139
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jonathan Nolan
    Favourite Jonathan Nolan
    Report
    Dec 9th 2019, 9:05 AM

    @Tommy Roche: are you saying if we kill all the cows in both NZ and Italy…… there will be…. no more…. seismic activity?!
    Mind Blown

    70
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute David Jordan
    Favourite David Jordan
    Report
    Dec 9th 2019, 11:13 AM

    @Jonathan Nolan: This is called Confirmation Bias. Earthquakes happen in Italy every day. When there’s activity in New Zealand, only then do you notice the activity that’s always happening in Italy. All other times you don’t pay attention, so it seems like there’s no activity. No, that you not paying attention.

    There were 114 earthquakes in Italy in the last 7 days…

    https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquakes/italy.html

    39
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Tommy Roche
    Favourite Tommy Roche
    Report
    Dec 9th 2019, 3:57 PM

    @Jonathan Nolan: Seems about as plausible as your anti-science nonsense.

    2
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jonathan Nolan
    Favourite Jonathan Nolan
    Report
    Dec 9th 2019, 6:54 PM

    @Tommy Roche: sorry mate, but where exactly did I say I was anti science?
    All I was saying is if someone asked me what data I had on the subject, I personally don’t.
    I never said I was anti science.
    In fact, I’d rather have the data.

    As for the seismic activity I notice with NZ V Italy. I understand that there is seismic activity every day in both countries. I lived in Wellington for a year where they were finding new fault lines in the city itself almost every day (1998-99). What I am talking about are the larger events which are generally reported world wide.

    12
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Peter Cavey
    Favourite Peter Cavey
    Report
    Dec 9th 2019, 7:43 PM

    @Tommy Roche: I’ll be keeping an eye on the need for this one. If there is an earthquake, will you pick my lotto numbers?

    2
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Noel Allan
    Favourite Noel Allan
    Report
    Dec 9th 2019, 8:26 AM

    @Jonathan Nolan, I’d head straight to the bookies, you’ll get great odds on that prediction…. ;-)

    24
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Gerard Casserly
    Favourite Gerard Casserly
    Report
    Dec 9th 2019, 11:30 AM

    Climate change.

    16
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Chris
    Favourite Chris
    Report
    Dec 10th 2019, 11:44 AM

    @Gerard Casserly: Nonsense

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Decko Kelly
    Favourite Decko Kelly
    Report
    Dec 9th 2019, 7:22 PM

    They were warned, hope somebody is held responsible. Profit over life!

    6
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jonathan Morgan
    Favourite Jonathan Morgan
    Report
    Dec 9th 2019, 8:17 PM

    @Decko Kelly: Your statement is a little odd. How (and why) should “somebody be held responsible” if “they were warned”?

    27
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Decko Kelly
    Favourite Decko Kelly
    Report
    Dec 9th 2019, 8:56 PM

    @Jonathan Morgan: they were warned that the volcano was showing signs of activity but still continued to bring tourists onto the island. Is that not careless no?

    11
    See 1 more reply ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Patrick Fitzgerald
    Favourite Patrick Fitzgerald
    Report
    Dec 10th 2019, 12:53 AM

    @Decko Kelly: main thing is to get outraged. Outrage first details later

    12
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Sharp Elsi Mate
    Favourite Sharp Elsi Mate
    Report
    Dec 9th 2019, 2:14 PM

    brexit

    1
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

Leave a commentcancel

 
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds