Spitting volcano keeps search parties off New Zealand island

Police doubted whether any more survivors would be found. They said the latest victim died in hospital, having been among more than 30 people injured in the eruption on the uninhabitedisland, a popular sightseeing excursion for tourists.

"The scale of this tragedy is devastating," Ardern said in parliament. "To those who have lost or are missing family and friends, we share in your grief and sorrow and we are devastated."

Twenty-four came from Australia, nine from the United States, five fromNewZealand, four from Germany, two from China and Britain and one from Malaysia.

"I would strongly suggest that there is no one that has survived on theisland," police Deputy Commissioner John Tims said of the eight people still missing.

Of the 31 injured, at least 27 suffered greater than 71 per centbody surface burns, and some could succumb to their wounds, said Peter Watson, the government's chief medicalofficer.

Burns units across the South Pacific nation of 4.5 million are full to capacity, he added.

Police said an investigation into the deaths onWhiteIslandhad been launched but clarified it was not a criminal investigation.

NewZealand'sgeological hazards agency GeoNet raised the alert level for thevolcanoin November because of an increase in volcanic activity. Thevolcano's last fatal eruption was in 1914 when it killed 12 sulfur miners.

Yet, daily tours bring more than 10,000 visitors to the privately ownedislandevery year, marketed as "the world's most accessible active marinevolcano".

"I have to say that I'm very surprised to hear there were visitors there today because scientists seem to have been well aware thatWhiteIslandwas entering a phase of heightened activity," said Drexel Universityvolcanologist Loÿc Vanderkluysen.

"I've been toWhiteIslandbefore, but I don't think I would have been comfortable being there today."

A crater rim camera owned and operated by GeoNet showed one group of people walking away from the rim inside the crater just a minute before the explosion.

"It's now clear that there were two groups on theisland- those who were able to be evacuated and those who were close to the eruption," Ardern said at a morningnews conference in Whakatane, a town on the mainland's east coast, about 50 km (30 miles) fromWhiteIsland.

Later, in parliament, she paid tribute to the pilots of four helicopters that landed onWhiteIslandin the aftermath of the eruption.

"In their immediate efforts to get peopleofftheisland, those pilots made an incredibly brave decision under extremely dangerous circumstances," Ardern said.

Since then, rescuers have been unable to access theisland, which is covered in grey ash. GNS Science,NewZealand'sgeoscience agency, warned there was a 50/50 chance of another eruption in the coming 24 hours, as thevolcanovent continued to emit "steam and mud jetting".

The Buttle family have owned theislandfor over 80 years, and a spokesman said they were devastated by the tragic event.

“We wish to thank everyone involved in the rescue effort, including the first responders, medical personnel and the locals who helped evacuate people from theisland," Peter Buttle said. "Their efforts have been both courageous and extraordinary.

Royal Caribbean confirmed several passengers on its 16-deck cruise liner, Ovation of the Seas, were on a day trip to theislandbut did not provide further information.

Janet Urey, 61, a nurse from Richmond, Virginia, said her son Matthew, 36, and his wife, Janet, 32, were cruise passengers injured in the eruption while on their honeymoon.

"The phone rang at midnight. Then I heard a voicemail come on. It was my son. He said, 'Mom this is not a joke. Avolcanoerupted while we were on theisland. We're at the hospital with severe burns.'"

Urey said she was frustrated by the lack of information from the cruise ship he was on and from authorities.

"I have not heard a word from the cruise people," she said.

ANewZealand man, GeoffHopkins, whose tour group was just leaving theislandat the time of the eruption, said he helped pull critically injured survivors into a boat.

Hopkins, 50, who was given the tour as a birthday gift, said many of the survivors had run into the sea to escape the eruption.

"People were in shorts and T-shirts so there was a lot of exposed skin that was massively burnt," he told the NZ Heraldnewspaper.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said three Australians were feared to be among the confirmed fatalities, with 13 among the injured.

A website managed by theNewZealand Red Cross listed 17 Australians as missing. The Family Links website is a forum for people to register missing persons, who can respond to confirm they are safe. A person who has been found but is in the hospital, for instance, might still be marked "missing" on the list.

Malaysia's high commission inNewZealand said one Malaysian was among the dead, while Britain's high commissioner toNewZealand confirmed two British women were among the injured.

Russell Clark, an intensive care paramedic with a helicopter team, said the early scenes were overwhelming.

"Everything was just blanketed in ash," he told Reuters. "It was quite an overwhelming feeling."

'Whakaari', as it is known in the Maori language, isNewZealand's most active conevolcano, built up by continuous volcanic activity over the past 150,000 years, according to GeoNet.