Earlier today, White Island (Whakaari) in New Zealand's Bay of Plenty had a moderate explosive eruption. This in itself is noteworthy, as the volcano has been quiet for years. Unfortunately, a number of tour groups were exploring the crater area of the small volcanic island when the blast happened unexpectedly. The BBC reports at least five people have been killed by the eruption, and dozens are still missing. Video was taken from a boat nearby and posted on Twitter.
This is the second eruption this year in which tourists were killed at volcanic islands. Explosions from Stromboli in Italy killed a tourist in July. A few years ago, over 40 died when an unexpected explosion caught hikers unaware at Mount Ontake in Japan and at least six hikers were killed at Mayon in the Philippines during a similar unexpected blast.
