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New Zealand Volcano Eruption Leaves ‘No Signs of Life’ on White Island New Zealand Volcano Eruption Leaves ‘No Signs of Life’ on White Island
(about 4 hours later)
At least five people have been confirmed killed after a volcano suddenly erupted on Monday on a popular island destination off the eastern coast of New Zealand on Monday, trapping dozens of tourists. WHAKATANE, New Zealand — They had taken boats to a desolate island to get a glimpse of a natural wonder, but when the White Island volcano erupted on Monday, a scene of stunning beauty suddenly turned into a deadly trap.
That toll is expected to rise. The New Zealand police said in a statement on Tuesday that “no signs of life have been seen at any point” on the island by reconnaissance flights made since the eruption. “Anyone who could have been taken from the island alive was rescued,” the police said. At least five people were killed when the volcano erupted on the island off the eastern coast of New Zealand, eight were still missing and 31 remained hospitalized with burns and other injuries. Three more people had been hospitalized and released.
Twenty-three people, including the five dead, were evacuated on Monday, said a New Zealand deputy police commissioner, John Tims. Officers said that more people were stranded on the island after the eruption. Reconnaissance flights over the area have found no signs of life.
Among the missing were about a dozen people who were seen on a webcam exploring the upper reaches of the volcano’s crater just before the eruption at 2:11 p.m. local time, Reuters reported. “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,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said at a news conference in Whakatane, a coastal community near the volcano. “Our duty,” she added, “is to return loved ones.”
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that the tourists on White Island seemed to have little time to seek shelter before the “very significant” eruption occurred. “A number of people are reportedly injured,” she said. The challenge of recovery and the scale of the disaster caused by the volcano — which has been promoted for decades as live and active but relatively safe to visit — played out overnight and into Tuesday morning as officials described dangerous helicopter flights to look for survivors and attempts to treat the wounded.
The island, also known as Whakaari, is privately owned and is typically visited by thousands of tourists every year. Among the missing or injured were tourists from Australia, China, Malaysia, the United Kingdom and the United States, along with tour operators from New Zealand.
On Monday, enveloped in searing ash, White Island was too dangerous for emergency workers to reach, Mr. Tims told an afternoon news conference as he stood beside Ms. Ardern. He said there had been no communication with anyone still on the island. Ash and smoke made it difficult for cameras pointed toward the volcano to see anyone on the island. Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia said in a statement that 24 Australians had been on White Island, 13 of whom are hospitalized. As many as three of the five confirmed dead are Australian, as are many of the missing.
On Tuesday morning, relatives gathered at the Port of Tauranga where two large cruise ships sat docked, as officials interviewed people aboard.
On the Ovation of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean ship from which several groups of tourists went to the volcano just before it erupted, no one was being allowed to disembark.
Officials said 47 people were on White Island when it erupted. Dozens more were cruising the area in smaller boats. “It looked like a nuclear bomb going off,” said one witness who spoke to Radio New Zealand.
Others described a slowly emerging cloud of smoke and ash, seen from the water, and the suddenly horrifying realization that some people were still there.
“This is so hard to believe,” said Michael Schade, a visitor from San Francisco, who posted photos and video of his group’s departure from White Island moments after the eruption. “Our whole tour group were literally standing at the edge of the main crater not 30 minutes before.”
Twenty-three people, including the five dead, were evacuated on Monday, said a New Zealand deputy police commissioner, John Tims.
Among the missing are people who were seen on a webcam exploring the upper reaches of the volcano’s crater just before the eruption at 2:11 p.m. local time, Reuters reported.
Ms. Ardern said that the tourists on White Island seemed to have had little time to seek shelter before the “very significant” eruption occurred.
The island, also known as Whakaari, is privately owned and is typically visited by thousands of tourists every year, many of them drawn by promotions for “New Zealand’s most active volcano.”
For Whakatane, a town of about 20,000 that’s a hub for White Island tours, the volcano’s appeal to visitors is an important part of the local economy.
“The whole tourist industry revolves around the island,” said Phil van Dusschoten, a retired police officer who now runs a company that operates dive and fishing trips.
“It’s a somber atmosphere,” he said in a telephone interview on Tuesday morning, adding that the smell of sulfur was still wafting in the air.
Mr. van Dusschoten said he was working on his boat when he saw the 12,000-foot tall ash clouds billowing from White Island. He said he later saw a busload of people, all of whom were shirtless, who had likely been rescued from the island.
“For the last 30 plus years, we’ve operated without incident, allowing tens of thousands of tourists to visit the volcano,” he said. “It’s very sad.”
On Monday, enveloped in the searing ash, White Island was too dangerous for emergency workers to reach. Mr. Tims told an afternoon news conference there had been no communication with anyone still on the island. Ash and smoke made it difficult for cameras pointed toward the volcano to see anyone on the island.
“We know the urgency to go back to the island,” he told reporters.“We know the urgency to go back to the island,” he told reporters.
After speaking to reporters, Ms. Ardern traveled to Whakatane, the town closest to the affected area. Ms. Ardern traveled Monday to Whakatane.
“I know that there will be a huge amount of anxiety for those who had loved ones on the island at the time,” she said, adding she would not provide details on the victims. “I know that there will be a huge amount of anxiety for those who had loved ones on the island at the time,” she said.
“We don’t have full clarity at this point and you’ll understand why we’re loath to get into speculation.”
Tourists from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship were among those who visited the island on Monday, the company said, but the company did not say how many went or address their fate. Mr. Tims, the police commissioner, said the police were due to receive a list of those who had gone to the island. Tourists from the Royal Caribbean cruise ship were among those who visited the island on Monday, the company said, but the company did not say how many went or address their fate. Mr. Tims, the police commissioner, said the police were scheduled to receive a list of those who had gone to the island.
A Royal Caribbean spokesman, Jonathon Fishman, said the company was “working together with local authorities, and providing all the help and care we can to our guests and their families, including offering medical resources and counseling.”A Royal Caribbean spokesman, Jonathon Fishman, said the company was “working together with local authorities, and providing all the help and care we can to our guests and their families, including offering medical resources and counseling.”
Australia’s 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 well-being.” The eruption was reported to have occurred at 2:11 p.m. local time. Several hours later, GeoNet, the agency that monitors geological activity in New Zealand, lowered the alert level to three, noting there was no further escalation in volcanic activity.
GeoNet, the agency that monitors geological activity in New Zealand, initially raised its volcanic alert level to four, on a scale where five represents a major eruption. The eruption was reported to have occurred at 2:11 p.m. local time. Several hours later, GeoNet lowered the alert level to three, noting there was no further escalation in volcanic activity.
Royal Caribbean Cruises did not say whether it had known of the warnings about the volcanic activity.
White Island is about 30 miles from New Zealand’s North Island. People who live along the coast of the Bay of Plenty, where White Island sits, messaged local news services reporting ash falling from the sky.
The police have established a no-fly zone around the island and warned people living near areas that might be affected by falling ash to remain indoors and listen to the radio or television for news updates.The police have established a no-fly zone around the island and warned people living near areas that might be affected by falling ash to remain indoors and listen to the radio or television for news updates.
Ash fall can contain jagged particles of abrasive rock or natural glass, and anyone exposed to it was advised to wear a dust mask or use a cloth handkerchief to cover their noses and mouths and wear goggles to protect their eyes. Ken Gledhill from the research institute GNS Science likened the eruption to the volcano “clearing its throat,” and said that while it looked like it had quietened down, the authorities could not be certain there would not be another eruption within the next 24 hours. Ash fall can contain jagged particles of abrasive rock or natural glass, and anyone exposed to it was advised to wear a dust mask or use a cloth handkerchief to cover their noses and mouths and wear goggles to protect their eyes.
The volcano is New Zealand’s most active, with 70 percent of the volcano under the sea. People were allowed to visit the island even after GeoNet had earlier issued bulletins warning of “moderate volcanic unrest” with “substantial gas, steam and mud bursts” observed at the crater lake. Ken Gledhill, from the research institute GNS Science, likened the eruption to the volcano “clearing its throat,” and said that while it looked like it had quietened down, the authorities could not be certain there would not be another eruption within the next 24 hours.
The volcano is New Zealand’s most active.
People were allowed to visit the island even after GeoNet had earlier issued bulletins warning of “moderate volcanic unrest” with “substantial gas, steam and mud bursts” observed at the crater lake.
“We’ve issued two or three bulletins in the last few weeks about the increase in activity,” Brad Scott, a GeoNet volcanologist, said in an interview.“We’ve issued two or three bulletins in the last few weeks about the increase in activity,” Brad Scott, a GeoNet volcanologist, said in an interview.
He said that even though the volcano has been erupting since 2011, tourists have been undeterred, with visits to the island dating back to the late 1800s. He said that even though the volcano has been erupting since 2011, tourists have been undeterred, with visits to the island dating to the late 1800s.
He said the agency passed its information on the volcano’s activity to tour operators and the police, but tourists make their own decisions about whether to visit the island.He said the agency passed its information on the volcano’s activity to tour operators and the police, but tourists make their own decisions about whether to visit the island.
“The weather has traditionally been the only thing that has stopped visitors,” he said, noting that the volcano sits in the open ocean and people wanting to reach it have to contend with rough waters to make the journey.“The weather has traditionally been the only thing that has stopped visitors,” he said, noting that the volcano sits in the open ocean and people wanting to reach it have to contend with rough waters to make the journey.
Royal Caribbean Cruises did not say whether it had known of the warnings about the volcanic activity.
The last time there was a large number of fatalities on White Island had nothing to do with a volcanic eruption. In 1914, part of a crater wall collapsed, causing a landslide and killing 10 men mining sulfur.The last time there was a large number of fatalities on White Island had nothing to do with a volcanic eruption. In 1914, part of a crater wall collapsed, causing a landslide and killing 10 men mining sulfur.
Sasha Borissenko contributed reporting from Mount Maunganui, New Zealand. Emily Rueb contributed reporting from New York.