New Zealand volcano: no survivors on White Island, police believe – as it happened

Police update follows reconnaissance flights over island, as death toll expected to rise from five.

9h ago

What we know

  • Five people have been confirmed killed, a figure that is expected to rise, after a volcanic eruption on New Zealand’s Whakaari/White Island.
  • Police have said that they believe there are no survivors left on the island after reconnaissance flights showed “no signs of life had been seen at any point”.
  • The military will deploy drones at first light to assess the situation on the ground.
  • As many as 27 people were thought to have been stranded on the island after the eruption.
  • Prime minister Jacinda Ardern arrived in Whakatane, the nearest major town, late on Monday night and met with local council leaders. She is expected to travel to the island on Tuesday.
  • New Zealand police deputy commissioner John Timms told a briefing that police and rescue crews have still not been able to access to the island, after advice from volcano experts. “The physical environment is unsafe for us to return to the island.”.
  • A number of people have been taken to hospital, some with burns as a result of the eruption.
  • Fewer than 50 people were on the island at the time of the eruption, and 23 have been taken off.
  • 30 to 38 of those people were passengers on the cruise ship Ovation of the Seas, as confirmed by the chief executive of the New Zealand Cruise Association.
  • The eruption occurred about 2.11pm local time, 48km off the coast of the Bay of Plenty, in the North Island.
  • Academics have questioned the suitability of White Island, New Zealand’s most active cone volcano, as a tourist destination, saying it “was a disaster waiting to happen”.
  • New Zealand Red Cross has activated the Family Links website for those concerned that their loved ones may have been caught up in the incident.

We are going to pause our live coverage for now. Thanks for reading. Our latest news wrap is here.

9h ago 23:44

Tourism on White Island was a 'disaster waiting to happen'

Some academics have been questioning the wisdom in allowing White Island to be a tourism destination.
Raymond Cas, emeritus professor at Monash University’s school of earth, atmosphere and environment, told the Australian Science Media Centre that he always felt it was too dangerous.
“White Island has been a disaster waiting to happen for many years. Having visited it twice, I have always felt that it was too dangerous to allow the daily tour groups that visit the uninhabited island volcano by boat and helicopter,” he said.
“It has a very active geothermal system with many steaming gas vents and varying numbers of hot water filled crater lakes in the floor of an amphitheater-shaped large crater.”
Associate professor Derek Wyman, a geoscientist at Sydney University, said he was surprised tourists were allowed so close to the site, given its recent history.
“I certainly wouldn’t be recommending tourists be approaching a site that has recently been throwing material up 30 metres into the air,” he told SBS News.
The eruption was “relatively minor”, Professor Wyman said. “New Zealand sees things like this quite frequently.
“Usually people don’t die from these kinds of eruptions, but that is likely because they are not usually inappropriately close.”

 

10h ago 22:26

'No signs of life' seen on White Island

Charlotte Graham-McLay

New Zealand police said early on Tuesday morning local time that they did not believe there were any survivors on White Island following Monday’s eruption.

Just after midnight, officers said in a statement that after reconnaissance flights over the island, “no signs of life had been seen at any point”.

“Police believe that anyone who could have been taken from the island alive was rescued at the time of the evacuation,” a statement said.

“Based on the information we have, we do not believe there are any survivors on the island.”

Officers are “urgently” working to confirm the exact number of those who have died, in addition to the five already known to be dead. They had earlier said as many as 27 people had been stranded on the island after the eruption.

The military will deploy drones at first light to assess the situation.

 

11h ago 21:56

 

11h ago 21:54

The New Zealand Herald reports that Jacinda Ardern has arrived in Whakatāne, and that she is currently in a meeting with members of the district council:

“The prime minister is currently in a meeting at the Whakatane District Council. The Crown car is waiting outside with a number of taxis. Waiariki MP Tamati Coffey’s car is also outside, as are police, regional council and St John vehicles.”

11h ago 21:43

 

More information is emerging about the geology that underpins White Island and about the raising of the alert level in recent weeks.

Prof Bill McGuire, emeritus professor of geophysical and climate hazards at University College London, said it was “a sporadically active volcanic island very similar to Stromboli volcano in the Mediterranean. It does not have major eruptions, but small blasts of ash, blocks and lava are reasonably common.

“Because the island is only a couple of kilometres across, however, visitors are close to the vent and under threat even if there is a small explosion. The volcano has been restless for a few weeks, resulting in the raising of the alert level, so that this eruption is not really a surprise.”

Dr Jessica Johnson, lecturer in geophysics at the University of East Anglia, said the eruption was “unfortunate but not completely unexpected”, pointing out that “levels of activity ... have been relatively high since September, and even more elevated over the last couple of weeks, with increased numbers of small earthquakes and more volcanic gas detected than usual. As a consequence, the volcanic alert level was raised. Similar eruptions have happened over the last 100 years or so.

“Even though the alert level was raised, it is still very difficult to forecast exactly what will happen at volcanoes. White Island/Whakaari is an andesitic stratovolcano, which means that it can have lots of different types of eruptions. It also has a water-filled crater lake. When water reacts with hot rock or magma, it can create explosions, and therefore, can make eruptions even more difficult to forecast.”

She said it was difficult to say whether there would be more eruptions.

“White Island/Whakaari is a very beautiful and interesting destination that naturally attracts tourism,” Dr Johnson added. “It is very difficult to say whether tourism should be allowed there. The volcano has displayed similar unrest in the past with no major eruptions. The most that the scientists can do is continue to monitor the volcano and issue information when it is available.”

Updated at 11.28pm AEDT

12h ago 20:55

This is the full statement released by New Zealand police after the earlier news briefing. It provides details for the Family Links website which allows family members and friends concerned about loved ones to register an inquiry:

Police can confirm five people are now confirmed to have died in the White Island volcanic eruption.

Our sincere condolences are with their family and friends.

We are continuing to work as quickly as possible, through a number of channels of information, to confirm exact numbers of those involved, including those who remain on the island.

A number of people have been injured and taken to Whakātane hospital and Middlemore hospital [in Auckland].

Both New Zealanders and overseas tourists are believed to be involved.

Police are currently taking advice from GeoNet experts, who have advised that due to the current risk environment, emergency services remain unable to access the island.

We are reassessing as information and advice is received, however police will not be in a position to access the island tonight.

The police 105 number can be used by members of the public to submit information regarding friends or family who might have been visiting White Island during the eruption.

People from overseas can call +64 9105 105.

People can also use the online form at the police website here.

At the request of New Zealand Police, New Zealand Red Cross has activated the Family Links website for people wanting to register themselves as safe or register an inquiry about a loved one.

If you are worried about a friend or family member following the White Island eruption, first contact them as you normally would.

If you cannot make contact, you can register them through this website.

Please note this website does not host an official list of missing persons, and information is submitted by members of the public.

A no-fly zone is in place at 5 nautical miles around White Island.

Police will continue to provide updates as information becomes available.

Updated at 11.30pm AEDT

12h ago 20:46

12h ago 20:42

Charlotte Graham-McLay in Wellington has written an account of the deadly events on White Island:

It was a beautiful, clear day in Whakātane, a town on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island, the air fresh with the beginning of summer. Suddenly and silently, just after lunch, a massive plume of smoke spewed into the blue sky.

Just off the volcanic White Island, or Whakaari, a boatload of tourists who had been standing at the crater just 20 minutes earlier watched in surprise, and then horror.

“It was kind of hard to tell at first, because we’d seen the smoke before, but this was a huge cloud of it,” said Michael Schade, who was visiting the island with his parents. “We were taking photos and videos and then it dawned on us what had happened.”

The full scale of the disaster on New Zealand’s most active cone volcano is not yet known: five people have been confirmed dead and up to two dozen remain unaccounted for. More deaths are likely, police have said.

Updated at 9.26pm AEDT

13h ago 20:08

Charlotte Graham-McLay

Passengers on the Ovation of the Seas cruise ship have been told they are not allowed to leave the vessel, and it will remain in dock in Tauranga until further notice.

Sylvain Plasse, a Canadian tourist on board, said he had seen the volcano erupt from land and thought he had been lucky to glimpse such a rare sight. But when he returned to the ship and heard that passengers and crew members were missing, “joy and excitement turned into horror”, he said.

“The mood became sombre on the ship,” said Plasse. “Everyone’s trying to carry on and have a great time but it’s in the back of your mind, it hits your stomach.”

Updated at 11.31pm AEDT

13h ago 19:45

What we know so far

  • Five people have been confirmed killed, a figure that is expected to rise, after a volcanic eruption on New Zealand’s Whakaari/White Island.
  • A double-digit number of people remain on the island, according to deputy commissioner John Timms of New Zealand police, although the exact number remains unknown.
  • Tims told a briefing that police and rescue crews have still not been able to access the island, after advice from volcano experts. “The physical environment is unsafe for us to return to the island.”
  • A number of people have been taken to hospital, some with burns as a result of the eruption.
  • Photographs in the aftermath of the eruption appear to show a wrecked helicopter on the island.
  • Fewer than 50 people were on the island at the time of the eruption, and 23 have been taken off.
  • 30 to 38 of those people were passengers on the cruise ship Ovation of the Seas, as confirmed by the chief executive of the New Zealand Cruise Association.
  • The eruption occurred about 2:11pm local time, 48km off the coast of the Bay of Plenty, in the North Island.
  • Whakaari / White Island is New Zealand’s most active cone volcano, and is a popular tourist destination and scientific research site. It last experienced a short-lived eruption in 2016.

Updated at 11.33pm AEDT

13h ago 19:23

Tims also confirms that “a number” of those on the island were from the Ovation of the Seas cruise ship, but would not confirm their nationalities.

Earlier, Guardian Australia confirmed there were 30-38 people from Ovation of the Seas on the island.

Guardian Australia also confirmed there were more than 20 Australians. But it is unknown how many were also cruise ship patrons.

14h ago 19:18

Now to questions. Deputy commissioner Tims is asked if “at least a double digit number of people remain on the island.”

He confirms this but cannot be more specific on numbers.

When asked how far police are from the island, Tims says “we are on the shore”.

14h ago 19:13

Five people dead

New Zealand police have just confirmed there are five people who have died.

Deputy commissioner John Tims says that police and rescue have still not been able to access to island, after advice from volcano experts.

This means police are still unsure how many people remain on the island.

“The physical environment is unsafe for us to return to the island,” he says

“A number of other people have been taken to hospital. A number of people have burns as a result of the eruption. It is still too early for police to confirm how many people are involved...including how many are still on the island.”

Updated at 7.19pm AEDT

14h ago 18:47

14h ago 18:38

More than 20 Australians were on island

More than 20 Australians were on Whakaari/White Island, as part of a tour group, when it erupted, Guardian Australia can confirm.

Their condition is unknown, and it is unclear how many were rescued, and how many remain on the island currently.

New Zealand Police said fewer than 50 people, in total, were on the island when it erupted. 23 have since been taken to shore. But it is currently too dangerous for police and rescue to visit the island, and up to 27 people remain.

Prime minister Scott Morrison also earlier confirmed that “Australians have been caught up in this terrible event”.

For the rest of this article please go to source link below.

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By Naaman Zhou / Reporter/editor

Naaman Zhou is a reporter for Guardian Australia. He was previously an editor of Honi Soit, the University of Sydney's student newspaper.

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By Seth Jacobson
(Source: theguardian.com; December 10, 2019; https://tinyurl.com/tlv9q7r)
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