New Zealand, erupting volcano surprises group of tourists. The premier: "Some missing"

WELLINGTON – Eruption of the White Island volcano, in New Zealand, just as in the area there was a group of visitors who, according to witnesses, shortly before the explosion was near the bottom of the crater. The National Emergency Management Agency stated that the volcanic eruption that occurred is very dangerous for people near the volcano. Fear for local authorities: Whakatane mayor Judy Turner said she fears that some people may have died from the eruption. "At the moment some of them are missing" confirmed Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. The wounded are certainly at least twenty. "It's a situation that changes and of course all our thoughts are with the people involved," he told reporters in Wellington shortly after the eruption in the early afternoon.
A level 4 alarm was issued for the volcano, also known as Maha Whakaari, which indicates a "moderate volcanic eruption", according to the scientific agency GeoNet. The scale goes from zero to five, a great eruption. Daily tours allow 10,000 people a year to visit the Maha Whakaari volcano, one of the most famous in the world, located 48 km from the coast of the bay of Plenty, a sunny region very popular with tourists. Police blocked roads and meteorological agency MetService warned the Air Force to avoid the area by plane.

The last major eruption dates back to 2016. GeoNet researchers had recorded moderate volcanic movements on the island for weeks: volcanologist Michael Rosenburg stated that in recent weeks there had been an increase in sulfur gas from the depths of the mountain.

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