New Zealand police said on Tuesday that it had opened an investigation into the deaths of a number of tourists and their tour guides and the injury of several others following the volcano eruption that hit White Island, also known as Whakaari, on Monday.
The volcano eruption left six people killed and 31 injured, while many others are still in critical condition.
Meanwhile, the police continue their search efforts to find eight people who are still missing.
Yesterday, New Zealand’s National Emergency Management Agency issued a national warning for a moderate volcanic eruption.
“A moderate volcanic eruption is taking place in White Island, which poses a threat to the immediate vicinity of the volcano,” the agency said.
Up to 100 people are believed to have been on the island when the volcano erupted.
Police have expressed fears that the death toll may be much higher, and reported that after the eruption began, 23 people were evacuated from the small island.
Earlier, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a press conference that about 100 people were on or around the island at the moment of the volcano’s eruption, some of them are missing, noting that many could be tourists.
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