New Zealand volcano: At least five dead after White Island eruption
Last edited Mon Dec 9, 2019, 10:18 AM - Edit history (2)
Source: BBC
an hour ago
A volcano has erupted in New Zealand, leaving five people dead and several unaccounted for, police have said.
Tourists were seen walking inside the crater of White Island volcano moments before Monday's eruption.
Twenty-three people have been rescued, but it is unclear how many people remained on the island. Police say aerial reconnaissance flights have not identified any sign of life there.
White Island, also called Whakaari, is the country's most active volcano.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-50708727
EDIT: article updated at link
Earlier BBC headlines:
White Island volcano: People 'unaccounted for' after New Zealand eruption
New Zealand volcano: At least one dead with number expected to rise
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Updated BBC report: New Zealand volcano: 'No sign of life' after White Island eruption
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Related: New Zealand volcano: no survivors on White Island, police believe as it happened (The Guardian)
Previous Guardian headlines:
New Zealand volcano: tourists injured and missing after eruption on White Island - live
New Zealand volcano: one dead and 'likely to be more' after eruption on White Island - live
cstanleytech
(26,224 posts)marked that island off the list of places long ago to ever visit precisely because it has a volatile history and I simply do not believe the risk are worth it.
SharonClark
(10,014 posts)not much of a risk to the average tourist.
cstanleytech
(26,224 posts)believe its simply not worth the risk especially when there are far more places there that I could visit should I ever be fortunate enough to be able to do so.
Response to Eugene (Original post)
greyl This message was self-deleted by its author.
marble falls
(56,996 posts)now I know.
The volcano walk is now off the bucket list.
KY_EnviroGuy
(14,488 posts)9 Dec, 2019 6:04pm
See: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12292325
(snips)
At about 2.11pm, the eruption fired a plume of ash 3.6km above the vent of the offshore Bay of Plenty volcano. The island's crater floor was littered with ash, which continued to fall on the island - but only a minor amount of the material was expected to reach the East Cape over the next few hours.
Monitoring showed there had been no signs of further eruption.
KY.........
chowder66
(9,046 posts)Hekate
(90,538 posts)What part of "active volcano" do tourists not understand?
Baclava
(12,047 posts)Yeah, I'll pass on walking on active volcanoes too
Rainbow Droid
(722 posts)It's the same with other inherently dangerous activities like free climbing, base jumping, skydiving, skateboarding, hell even surfing and snorkeling can be highly dangerous in numerous locations around the world.
But almost nobody considers that they might be a statistic, and the human brain tends to automatically minimize the perception of risks in a direct correlation to the level of desire the person has for engaging in said activity: If you really want to do something, and the perceived risk would otherwise stop you, you will not accurately perceive the risk. I know there are exceptions, but this is essentially how the human brain works, and such thinking is the rule rather than the exception.
Confirmation bias can be a very dangerous thing.
MissB
(15,803 posts)Active volcano generally means that its erupted in the past 10,000 years.
By that definition, Mt. Hood in Oregon is an active volcano. This time of year, there are tons of skiers all over the mountain. Not one of them worries about it erupting.
That being said, sounds like the tour operator shouldnt have been taking folks out to this island.
Baclava
(12,047 posts)note helicopter covered in ash
meadowlander
(4,387 posts)The threat level for the island was increased in the last few weeks but tour operators continued go out there.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/118062136/why-were-people-on-white-island-volcano-when-it-erupted
hlthe2b
(102,106 posts)but this is something very different--much like Russian Roulette--that I have NEVER understood. They have no control over the outcome. It isn't a feat of skill over risk, but merely fate.
muriel_volestrangler
(101,264 posts)New Zealand police said early on Tuesday morning local time that they did not believe there were any survivors on White Island following Mondays 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.
...
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.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2019/dec/09/new-zealand-volcano-tourists-injured-and-missing-after-eruption-on-white-island-live?page=with:block-5dee2e7f8f08e7796de8f552#block-5dee2e7f8f08e7796de8f552
pansypoo53219
(20,952 posts)keithbvadu2
(36,640 posts)Completely safe, no problems for the last three years.
However, comma.
Karma, fate, bad jos that you were walking the trail at just that moment.
muriel_volestrangler
(101,264 posts)She said that New Zealanders and tourists from Australia, the US, Britain, China and Malaysia were among the missing and injured. New Zealand police do not expect to find any more survivors on White Island, where two explosions in quick succession sent up a huge plume of ash that could be seen from the North Island.
Some 31 people remain in hospital after three people were discharged overnight. In total, 47 people visited the island on Monday.
Ardern praised the efforts of first responders, including a number of helicopters that rescued people from the island. All of us would want to acknowledge the efforts they went to to ensure that everyone who could be evacuated was, said Ardern.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/09/new-zealand-eruption-dead-missing-white-island