Multiple people were injured, at least one of them critically, and an unknown number of others were missing after a volcano erupted on White Island off the coast of New Zealand, police said Monday.
GeoNet, the government earthquake agency, said the country’s most active cone volcano, Whakaari White Island, in the Bay of Plenty about 30 miles off the northeast New Zealand coast, erupted at about 2:11 p.m. Monday.
“We are aware that people were on the island immediately before the eruption and we express our concern for their safety,” GeoNet said in a statement. It said that the eruption was a “short-lived” event generating an ash plume 12,000 feet into the sky but that ash fall appeared to be confined to the island.
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The national Meteorological Service confirmed the eruption and tweeted radar and satellite images of the eruption and its ash cloud.
National police said in a statement that while it initially had been reported that about 100 people were on or in the area of the island, they now believed that there were fewer than 50, some of whom remained unaccounted for.
“Of those transported to shore, at least one has been critically injured,” they said.
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Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said at a news conference that the government couldn’t confirm whether there had been any deaths but she added: “At this stage, it does appear to be a very significant issue.”
Radio New Zealand, the government-chartered public broadcaster, quoted the national ambulance service as saying as many as 20 people may have been injured on the island, which in quieter times is a popular tourist attraction.
It said a mobile triage unit, an ambulance crew and seven helicopters units were on the away to the island, according to Radio New Zealand.
This is a developing story. Refresh this page for updates.