It was a beautiful day for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. But when disaster struck at White Island, 14 people didn't come home.
The GNS Science webcam at White Island's crater rim snaps an ant-trail of tourists checking out New Zealand's most active volcano. One minute later, the ever-puffing cone, whose Maori name means the dramatic volcano, blows its top. There are 47 tourists still on the island, but the world doesn't know that yet.
The beautiful silent shroud turns sinister, rolling across the island. At the pier, about 13 people huddle as the toxic tower rises above their heads. Ash-covered tourists run into the sea. The tour helicopter parked on the beach is shunted from its helipad, its rotors bent into spidery legs. That's 1.5 tonnes of metal, carried by the force of the explosion. The ash cloud soars to more than 3600 metres – far enough to see from satellites.
University of Auckland vulcanologist Professor Shane Cronin says the eruption would have released a "violent ejection" of hot blocks and ash, and formed hurricane-like currents of wet ash and coarse particles radiating from the explosion vent.Advertisement
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