New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has confirmed that many people remain unaccounted for after a volcano erupted on an island off the coast. Police say they don’t expect any more survivors, Deutsche Welle reports.
Five people were confirmed dead and 18 others injured, with many more missing, after a volcano erupted on Monday afternoon while dozens of cruise ship passengers were exploring a small, uninhabited New Zealand island.
“Police believe that anyone who could have been taken from the island alive was rescued at the time of the evacuation,” police said in a statement. “Based on the information we have, we do not believe there are any survivors on the island.”
A massive plume of ash spewed thousands of feet into the air above White Island, also known by the indigenous Maori name Whakaari, which is popular due to its moon-like surface.
The five people who died were part of 23 rescued earlier from the island.
