Monday, December 9, 2019

Sorta sudden volcanic eruption on White Island, New Zealand, kills multiple tourists.

Warnings!  Which of course acted as a draw to people who should know better, but don't.  "Why, I'm indestructible! Can't miss the show," they thought.

In fact, At this point, no more survivors are expected. 
Because the island is only a couple of kilometers across, however, visitors are close to the vent and under threat even if there is a small explosion. 
Police say it's too dangerous to access White Island right now, and according to experts, it's not yet clear when it will be safe. For now, the island remains a no-fly zone, and emergency services are unable to access it.





  • 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 to 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 CEO of the New Zealand Cruise Association.
  • The eruption occurred about 2:11pm local time, 48km off the coast of the Bay of Plenty, on the north 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.

7 comments:

  1. F--KEM! They were told it was dangerous to go there, but they did anyway; let them swim home.

    Thanks for the post.
    Paul L. Quandt

    ReplyDelete
  2. Something all us critical thinkers already know: "Don't mess with Mother Nature". Too bad Greta wasn't there demonstrating how human activities are destroying volcanoes.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Will the progressives currently in charge of New Zealand now rush to ban volcanoes?

    ReplyDelete