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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2019/dec/09/new-zealand-volcano-tourists-injured-and-missing-after-eruption-on-white-island-live
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New Zealand volcano: tourists injured and missing after eruption on White Island – live | New Zealand volcano: tourists injured and missing after eruption on White Island – live |
(30 minutes later) | |
NZ prime minister Jacinda Ardern says situation at Whakaari in the Bay of Plenty is ‘significant and evolving’ after volcano erupts. Follow the latest updates | NZ prime minister Jacinda Ardern says situation at Whakaari in the Bay of Plenty is ‘significant and evolving’ after volcano erupts. Follow the latest updates |
Police Deputy Commissioner John Tims has confirmed that one person has died. | |
“And based on information we have, there are likely to be more,” he adds. | |
Sarah Stewart-Black, the director of Civil Defence Emergency Management, is speaking now. | |
“We do not expect this event you have any significant impact for the people on the north island at this time. If the situation changes we will communicate this. | |
“Ashfall appears to be confined to the island and they do not expect more than a minor amount of ash to reach East Cape in the coming hours.” | |
Ardern will travel to the island tonight. | |
“It continues to be an evolving situation. We know there were a number of tourists on or around the island at the time. | |
“The Ministry of foreign affairs have also stood up their systems to assist with any response required for those further afield.” | |
Jacinda Ardern is speaking now. | |
Tourist Allessandro Kauffmann, who posted one of the first videos of the eruption, says he saw people with “serious burns”. | |
In a tearful Instagram video, Kauffman said he saw people with “extensive burns on their bodies.” | |
“There were two tours on the volcano,” he said, as translated from Portuguese by the NZ Herald. | |
“Ours was the first. The other one right after. We left the island and wasn’t even five minutes before it erupted. This other tour that arrived after couldn’t leave in time. | |
“Some people have serious burns. We had to stay to help those people who were on the island. The boat from this other tour was covered in ash from the volcano. Very tense talking about this. We just have to hope that all is as well as can be.” | |
According to Te Ara, the enycyclopedia of New Zealand, Whakaari lies at the northern end of the North Island’s ‘line of fire’ – a large volcanic plateau which stretches from the Bay of Plenty on the coast, to Mt Ruapehu inland. The line of fire forms part of the wider ‘Ring of Fire’ around the Pacific ocean. | |
From the Encyclopedia of New Zealand: “Unpredictable and fascinating, the Volcanic Plateau is New Zealand’s main area of volcanic activity. In this zone, the Pacific tectonic plate is sinking beneath the Australian Plate. At a certain depth its rocks heat and produce volcanic activity, which erupts at the surface in minor ways (steam vents, mud pools and hot springs), and major ways (volcanic eruptions, collapsing mountains and lake formation).” | |
TVNZ report that one of the rescue helicopters is now tasked “just with taking blood from Auckland Hospital to Whakātane hospital”. | |
There will be a police and emergency press conference in half an hour. | There will be a police and emergency press conference in half an hour. |
Some more footage from a tourist on a boat near White Island today | Some more footage from a tourist on a boat near White Island today |
Professor Shane Cronin, a volcanologist at the University of Auckland, says that the kind of eruption we saw today can commonly occur with no warning. | Professor Shane Cronin, a volcanologist at the University of Auckland, says that the kind of eruption we saw today can commonly occur with no warning. |
“Sudden, unheralded eruptions from volcanoes such as White Island can be expected at any time,” he said. “Magma is close to the surface, and the heat and gases from this heat the surface and ground waters to form vigorous hydrothermal systems. We know hydrothermal and so-called ‘phreatic’ eruptions can occur suddenly and with little or no warning because they are driven by the expansion of super-heated water into steam. | “Sudden, unheralded eruptions from volcanoes such as White Island can be expected at any time,” he said. “Magma is close to the surface, and the heat and gases from this heat the surface and ground waters to form vigorous hydrothermal systems. We know hydrothermal and so-called ‘phreatic’ eruptions can occur suddenly and with little or no warning because they are driven by the expansion of super-heated water into steam. |
“The hazards expected from such events are the violent ejection of hot blocks and ash, and formation of ‘hurricane-like’ currents of wet ash and coarse particles that radiate from the explosion vent. | “The hazards expected from such events are the violent ejection of hot blocks and ash, and formation of ‘hurricane-like’ currents of wet ash and coarse particles that radiate from the explosion vent. |
“These can be deadly in terms of causing impact trauma, burns and respiratory problems. The eruptions are short-lived, but once one occurs, there are high chances for further, generally smaller ones as the system re-equilibrates.” | “These can be deadly in terms of causing impact trauma, burns and respiratory problems. The eruptions are short-lived, but once one occurs, there are high chances for further, generally smaller ones as the system re-equilibrates.” |
Video purporting to be from today’s eruption has been uploaded to Instagram by a tourist on a cruise boat. | Video purporting to be from today’s eruption has been uploaded to Instagram by a tourist on a cruise boat. |
It was originally posted to Instagram, 50 minutes ago, and has now been shared by a variety of other accounts. | It was originally posted to Instagram, 50 minutes ago, and has now been shared by a variety of other accounts. |
The Guardian has not yet independently verified the video. | The Guardian has not yet independently verified the video. |
Images from Whakatāne, where ambulances are taking injured people to hospital. | Images from Whakatāne, where ambulances are taking injured people to hospital. |