Whakaari is New Zealand’s most active cone volcano and displayed signs of increased activity as recently as last week
Experts have warned New Zealand’s Whakaari Island was “a disaster waiting to happen for many years”, just hours after at least five people were killed on by a volcano eruption on the popular tourist spot. A number of Australians were caught up in the chaos.
“White Island has been a disaster waiting to happen for many years. Having visited it twice, I have always felt that it was too dangerous to allow the daily tour groups that visit the uninhabited island volcano by boat and helicopter,” he said. The site, also known as White Island, sat at a Volcanic Alert Level of 2 and was “regularly throwing mud and debris 20-30 metres into the air”,“Observations and data to date suggest that the volcano may be entering a period where the eruptive activity is more likely than normal,” it said.
A group of people can be seen on a GNS camera walking close to the crater just minutes before the eruption.The eruption, on the scale of things, was"a relatively minor event", Professor Wyman said.“Usually people don’t die from these kinds of eruptions, but that is likely because they are not usually inappropriately close."
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