Tourists missing after deadly eruption of New Zealand volcano

FAN Editor

A volcano erupted Monday on a small New Zealand island frequented by tourists, leaving at least one person dead and a number of others missing and injured. The eruption sent a large plume of smoke and ash into the sky around 2 p.m. local time on White Island. 

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern originally said about 100 tourists were on or near the island when the eruption occurred, but police later corrected that figure, saying they believed there were fewer than 50 people present at the time. The police confirmed at least one person was killed.

St. John medical responders said in a statement they believed there were 20 people on the island who were injured and in need of medical treatment. It said it had dispatched seven helicopters to the island with paramedics aboard.

White Island sits about 30 miles offshore from mainland New Zealand. White Island is northeast 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.

Trending News

Twelve people were killed on the island in 1914 when it was being mined for sulfur. Part of a crater wall collapsed and a landslide destroyed the miners’ village and the mine itself. The island became a private scenic reserve in 1953, and daily tours allow more than 10,000 people to visit the volcano every year. 

New Zealand Volcano Erupts
In this image made from video, people injured by the White Island volcanic eruption are ferried into waiting ambulances in Whakatane, New Zealand, Dec. 9, 2019. Katee Shanls/AP

Landslides trap tourists elsewhere

About 500 miles to the southwest of White Island, on the west coast of New Zealand’s South Island, another, larger group of tourists was stranded Monday after heavy weekend rains unleashed mudslides that cut off a town popular for its glacier.

Close to 1,000 tourists were stuck in the small town of Franz Josef after landslides and flooding cut the main highway into the town. Authorities said road access likely wouldn’t be restored until Friday, and some of the tourists were choosing to leave by helicopter or small plane while others decided to wait until the highway reopened.

Westland Mayor Bruce Smith said many of the 970 tourists in Franz Josef were taking the news in stride, but some were frustrated their travel plans had been disrupted. 

New Zealand Stranded Tourists
A tourist photographs the rising water in the Rakaia Gorge 50 miles west of Christchurch in Canterbury, New Zealand. Stormy weather across the country over the weekend caused disruptions and road closures, including cutting off about 1,000 tourists in the small town of Franz Josef, near Canterbury. David B Gray/AP

He said there were about 20 planes and helicopters flying in and out of the town to help people leave. He said some tourists wanted to stay with their vehicles while others were trying to get confirmation their travel insurance would cover the extra costs of flying out.

“They all have the option of taking fixed wing planes or helicopters,” Smith said. “It’s just a question of who writes the check. I understand that.”

Smith said there would have been many more people stuck if the slips had occurred a few weeks later. He said the summer tourist season peaks in February when the town gets about 6,000 tourists traveling through each day.

Dan Burt, a spokesman for aviation tourist operator Inflite, said it had flown about 60 tourists from the town on Monday on two planes and two helicopters it had diverted to the area. He said it was charging them its normal rate of about 600 New Zealand dollars ($393) for the trip out.

Burt said many tour operators and rental car companies had been good about allowing people to leave their cars behind.

“They’ve said ‘Look you get out of there, and we’ll worry about vehicle later,” Burt said. “We’re trying to make sure people have a really good experience when they fly with us. We don’t want their last impression of New Zealand to be three days stuck in Franz Josef.”

Tourists typically visit the area to view the Franz Josef Glacier.

Free America Network Articles

Leave a Reply

Next Post

Satellite images show North Korea tried out rocket engine in ‘very important’ test: experts

FILE OHOTO – A North Korean flag flutters on top of the 160-metre tall tower at North Korea’s propaganda village of Gijungdong, in this picture taken from Tae Sung freedom village near the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), inside the demilitarised zone separating the two Koreas, in Paju, South Korea, September […]