Thank-You Penny
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Tuesday up to three Australians could be among the five killed in the White Island volcano.
au.yahoo.com
'Terrible, terrible tragedy': Three Australians feared killed in volcano eruption
Australian Associated Press,Yahoo News Australia 16 minutes ago
Three Australians are feared to be among five people killed in a volcano eruption in New Zealand on Monday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison says.
Eleven Australians are still unaccounted for and 13 others have been hospitalised.
"This is a very, very hard day for a lot of Australian families whose loved ones have been caught up in this terrible, terrible tragedy," Mr Morrison said in Sydney on Tuesday.
"I fear there is worse news to come over the course of perhaps today or over the next few days," Mr Morrison said.
"This is a terrible tragedy, a time of great innocence and joy interrupted by the horror of that eruption."
Thirty-one people were admitted to hospital, at least three stayed overnight.
After a frantic search for information on Monday, police now believe
there were 47 people in two groups on the volcano at the time of the blast.
New Zealand authorities have done a reconnaissance mission and determined that nobody on the island could still be alive.
The extent of the injuries suffered by the 13 Australians hospitalised is unknown.
"At this stage it is still too early to tell - we know there are a number in critical conditions," the prime minister said.
"Obviously there are quite severe burns issues and that's why they are in so many different hospitals because they have been taken to the various burns units across New Zealand."
One group was evacuated but the other was caught out by the eruption.
There were 24 Australians caught up in the blast, all aged between 17 and 72.
A number of people from a visiting cruise ship, the Ovation of the Seas, which originated in Sydney were in the area during the unfolding tragedy.
Throughout Monday, police attempted to contact those who remained on the island during the blast without success while also trying to discover how many people were missing.
In a late-night statement, police dashed hopes of finding anyone else alive, saying ,"based on the information we have, we do not believe there are any survivors on the island."
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, in the nearby town of Whakatane, confirmed six nationalities were among the 13 dead or missing: Australia, New Zealand, United States, United Kingdom, China and Malaysia.
On Tuesday morning, Acting Assistant Commissioner Bruce Bird, alongside Ardern, said it was still not safe to return to Whakaari.
"Today our focus will be on working with the experts in determining the safety for us to return to the island to look to recover those people who are currently missing," Bird said.
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