New Zealand volcano: ‘No signs of life’ after massive eruption on White Island

here are “no signs of life” on New Zealand’s White Island after a monster volcano erupted there Monday, officials said.

Five people have been confirmed dead after the volcano blew its top around 2:15 p.m. local time. Officials have said 23 people were taken from the island, including those with injuries.

“Police believe that anyone who could have been taken from the island alive was rescued at the time of the evacuation,” authorities said in a statement released just after midnight Tuesday local time, obtained by The New Zealand Herald. “Based on the information we have, we do not believe there are any survivors on the island.”

Fewer than 50 people were on the island at the time of the eruption — 24 of them Australians, Nine News Australia reported.

Up to two dozen people remain unaccounted for, and authorities are “urgently” working to confirm the total number of fatalities, according to The Guardian.

One of those killed was an experienced White Island tour guide, “a young energetic man who’s lost his life,” Tony Bonne, former mayor of the nearby coastal town of Whakatane, told the Herald.

“Devastation is an understatement,” White Island Tours chairman Paul Quinn said in a statement obtained by the outlet. “This is a terrible tragedy and our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who has been impacted.”
A volcano on New Zealand's White Island spews steam and ash moments after it erupted.
tour group from the Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas ship was visiting the island at the time.

But a Royal Caribbean spokeswoman told the Herald the cruise line is “not sure if our guests were involved.”

“We’re still gathering information at the moment,” the spokeswoman said.

The deceased are from “a range of nationalities,” National Operation Commander Deputy Commissioner John Tims said at a Monday press conference, according to the Herald.

Searches for any remaining victims were put on hold overnight for safety reasons, Tims said.

“The experts that we’ve spoken to have said it is unsafe for us to go on that island,” the official said. “The island is unstable … the physical environment is unsafe for us to return to the island. It is important that we consider the health and safety of those that will return to the island.”

“We know the urgency to get back to [the] island,” he added.