A volcanic eruption on New Zealand's White Island is the cause of the death of at least five people with more than 30 people wounded.
The police said that the number of deaths will increase, and those missing include British nationals.
"No signs of life have been seen at any point," police said.
"It is now clear there were two groups on the island," prime minister Jacinda Ardern said at a Tuesday morning press conference. "Those who were able to be evacuated, and those who were close to the eruption.
"We can confirm that among those currently listed as missing or injured are New Zealanders who were part of the tour operation, and tourists from Australia, the United States, the UK, China, and Malaysia. That is to the best of our knowledge."
Early Warnings
Geonet, New Zealand's geological monitoring agency, reiterated that the eruption was "an impulsive, short-lived event."
Experts from GeoNet said that the level of the eruption was not that large; however, being close is not good. Reports also said that there is a steady increase in the level of volcanic activity on the island since October. The island's "Volcanic-Alert Level" was raised from 1 to 2 three weeks ago by scientists because of the increase in the crater's activity and volcanic unrest.
"Hazards on the island are now greater than during the past few weeks," the report said.
Despite GeoNet's report that there were "substantial gas, steam, and mud bursts" a week before the eruption, the alert level was sustained at a level to.
Tourism continued despite the said condition. Reports said that there were 47 people on the day of eruption that include New Zealand tourism operators and tourists from Australia and Great Britain.
Impossibility of Predicting an Eruption
The close proximity of the magma under the volcanic crate makes the eruption of the White Island volcano unpredictable.
Shane Cronin, an Earth scientist at the University of Auckland, said that "White Island is one of several volcanoes in New Zealand with a known potential to produce sudden explosive eruptions at any time. And unfortunately, they're very hard to predict."
He added that magma's heat and gas can release with sudden and no warning water trapped in the pores of the rocks on the crater floor.
A hydrothermal or phreatic eruption caused by steam and not magma makes it more difficult for monitoring agencies to track volcanic eruptions.
"Any external process, such as an earthquake, gas input from below, or even a change in the lake-water level, can tip this delicate balance and release the pressure on the hot and trapped water," he added.
The expansion of trapped water and conversion to steam results in a phreatic explosion. Catastrophe results from the expansion of liquid 1,700 times its original volume. Cronin said that "the steam-driven eruption is enough to "shatter solid rock, excavate craters, and eject rock fragments and ash" up to a distance of two miles"
Recent eruption
The island's last eruption was in April 2016 with a volcanic-alert status of level 1. Hawaii's Kilauea was one recent phreatic eruption last 2018.
