OREANDA-NEWS. New Zealand police have confirmed the death of five people as a result of a volcanic eruption on the island of White Island. This was announced by Deputy Commissioner of the Civil Defense Headquarters John Tims on Monday during a briefing on the operational situation after the emergency. The broadcast was conducted by the New Zealand television channel. "Unfortunately, I can confirm that five people died as a result of the eruption on the island of White Island", said Tims.

According to the policeman, the work of rescuers is complicated, since a large layer of ash covers the entire territory of the island. Now the headquarters is consulting with experts to determine the nearest possible start time for search operations on the island. As reported on the official website of the New Zealand Police, a search operation in the area of ​​the volcano will begin no earlier than morning in local time. "The police will not be able to get to the island during the night", the report said.

According to adjusted data, 18 people received injuries of varying severity. All the dead were among those evacuated from the island in the first hours after the eruption, and four of them died already in the Wakatana hospital. It's estimated that about 27 people remained on the island, but the police are not sure that they managed to survive. There is no connection with the island.