White Island volcano in New Zealand erupts

A volcano on White Island in New Zealand has erupted. As EcoTourism Expert came to know, local authorities are already reporting five dead and at least four injured. There may be other victims.

The eruption began on Monday at around 14:15 local time (04:15 Moscow time). Following the eruption level four alert was issued, and the aviation security code was changed to orange.

According to the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, at the time of the eruption there were about a hundred people next to it, currently there are people missing. Ardern announced her intention to visit the volcanic eruption area together with the Minister of Civil Defence of the country.

At the same time, according to the New Zealand Police website, "it was initially believed that there were about 100 people on the island or near it during the eruption, now we believe that there were less than 50 people."

23 people were removed from the island, but the exact number of victims remains unknown.

The New Zealand geological information official GeoNet reported: “A short-term eruption of the Whakaari / White Island volcano occurred around 2:11 p.m. (December 9, 2019). The volcano seems to have calmed down. Volcanic alert level has now been reduced to 3.” According to GeoNet, more than 10 thousand people visit the island annually.

According to Reuters, people could be in the crater of the volcano before the eruption. GeoNet cameras were installed in the crater, which took pictures every 10 minutes and sent them to the server. At 14:10 a group of people was recorded, which was heading along a path away from the edge of the crater. Volcanic eruption began according to GeoNe at 14:11. The official website of the agency broadcast from the crater. Pictures are currently taken out of public access.

The Russian Embassy in New Zealand drew the attention of Russians to precautionary measures. The diplomatic mission published on Monday on its Facebook page recommendations not to leave the premises and to keep windows and doors closed to avoid poisoning with volcanic ash.

Due to the eruption of the volcano on White Island, the embassy strongly recommends that poeple strictly follow the recommendations of the New Zealand National Emergency Management Agency and monitor informational reports.

The embassy reminds that it might be dangerous to stay in the radius of the epicenter.

White Island - New Zealand's only active volcanic island, is located in the Bay of Plenty 270 km south of Auckland. The previous eruption was recorded in late 2012 - early 2013.

White Island is one of the most visited active volcanoes in the world and is open for tourist visits.