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(Reuters) - Several people were injured on Monday and some reported missing as New Zealand mounted a rescue effort after its White Island volcano erupted off the east coast of the North Island, spewing a plume of ash thousands of feet into the air. Smoke bellows from Whakaari, also known as White Island, volcano as it erupts in New Zealand, December 9, 2019, in this image obtained via social media. GNS Science via REUTERS Here are some previous volcanic eruptions in New Zealand: 1914: The White Island volcano’s last fatal eruption kills 10 sulphur miners. Aug. 1938: The White Island volcano erupts in the Bay of Plenty off North Island. 1953: An eruption at Mount Ruapehu on North Island wrecks a railway bridge just before the arrival of a Wellington-Auckland express train, plunging it into a river and killing more than 150. Feb. 20, 1992: The White Island volcano, then termed New Zealand’s most active, spews a huge column of grey ash as scientists … [Read more...] about Factbox: Previous volcanic eruptions in New Zealand

FILE PHOTO: A passenger walks towards a terminal after disembarking the Ovation of the Seas cruise ship at the port of Piraeus, near Athens, Greece, May 15, 2016. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis/File Photo (Reuters) - Some of the tourists on New Zealand’s White Island during Monday’s volcano eruption were passengers on a cruise ship visiting the area, cruise line officials say. The ship, Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas, is in port in Tauranga, a coastal city about 90 km (56 miles) from White Island. The cruise company’s website says the ship has gross registered tonnage of 168,000 and is 1,138-ft (347-m) -long, or slightly longer than a nuclear-powered Nimitz-class aircraft carrier of the U.S. Navy. It has a theater, 21 restaurants, several pools, a casino and high-end retail outlets including Cartier, Michael Kors and Kate Spade. Built in Germany, it took its first voyage in 2016. It has 16 decks, all but two of which are for passengers, and can … [Read more...] about Factbox: Royal Caribbean cruise ship near New Zealand’s White Island

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - At least one person was killed, several injured and others reported missing in New Zealand after a volcano erupted off the east coast of its North Island on Monday, spewing a plume of ash thousands of feet into the air. An aeriel view shows smoke bellowing above the crater of Whakaari, also known as White Island, volcano as it erupts in New Zealand, December 9, 2019, in this image obtained via social media. GNS Science via REUTERS Twenty-three people, some of them believed to be tourists from the Ovation of the Seas cruise ship, were rescued from White Island, where the volcano erupted at about 2:11 p.m. (0111 GMT), police said. Earlier, about 100 people were feared to have been nearby. Michael Schade, an engineering manager from San Francisco, was one of the tourists who made it off the island minutes before the eruption. He posted dramatic footage of the eruption from the boat he was on, with smoke first engulfing the top of the crater and … [Read more...] about One killed, several injured in New Zealand volcano eruption

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - At least five people were killed, up to 20 injured and several were reported missing after a volcano suddenly erupted off the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island on Monday, spewing a plume of ash thousands of feet into the air. More casualties were feared on White Island, where the volcano erupted at about 2:11 p.m. (0111 GMT), police said. Twenty-three people, some of them believed to be tourists from the Ovation of the Seas cruise ship, were rescued, police said, adding that others were still on the island. About 50 people were feared to have been nearby and several were seen near the rim of the crater minutes before the eruption. St. John Ambulance said up to 20 people were believed to have been injured in the eruption, adding that a mobile triage unit was on its way. The organization said it had sent seven helicopters to the island with medics onboard. Michael Schade, an engineering manager from San Francisco, was one of the tourists who … [Read more...] about ‘Sudden’ volcano eruption in New Zealand kills five, several missing