On Monday, December 9, New Zealand’s White Island volcano erupted seemingly without warning. Within two minutes, a violent cloud of steam, ash, and rock—called a pyroclastic density current—tumbled down the volcano’s flank. A cloud of volcanic ash stretched thousands of feet into the sky.
At the time the volcano erupted—just after 2:00 p.m. local time—47 tourists were scattered along the crater’s edge and down the volcano’s slopes. At press time, eight people have been confirmed dead, 28 are currently being treated, and nine are missing or presumed dead.
“My God, White Island volcano in New Zealand erupted today for first time since 2001. My family and I had gotten off it 20 minutes before, were waiting at our boat about to leave when we saw it,” tourist Michael Schade tweeted shortly after the eruption.
My god, White Island volcano in New Zealand erupted today for first time since 2001. My family and I had gotten off it 20 minutes before, were waiting at our boat about to leave when we saw it. Boat ride home tending to people our boat rescued was indescribable. #whiteisland pic.twitter.com/QJwWi12Tvt
— Michael Schade (@sch) December 9, 2019
White Island is New Zealand’s most active volcano, and has periodically erupted since 1976, according to GeoNet, New Zealand’s volcano monitoring organization. On November 18, the organization raised the volcano’s alert level from 1 to 2 on its 5-point scale. (It’s currently at a level 3, and recovery operations have been paused until the island is deemed safe.)
[…]
