Tourists missing after New Zealand volcano erupts

FAN Editor

A volcano erupted Monday on a small New Zealand island frequented by tourists, and a number of people were missing and injured after the eruption. The eruption occurred around 2 p.m. local time. 

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern originally said about 100 tourists were on or near White Island when it erupted in the afternoon. Police later corrected that figure, saying they believe there were fewer than 50 people on or near the island.

Both Ardern and police said that some tourists had been transported to the mainland shore but there are still several people unaccounted for. At least person was critically injured, according to police. 

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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.

The GeoNet agency said a moderate volcanic eruption had occurred and raised its alert level to four, on a scale where five represents a major eruption.

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.

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.

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

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