Tourists injured and missing after New Zealand volcano erupts

It's still not clear who was on White Island when it erupted -- but passengers from a cruise ship visited the island Monday.

A spokesperson for Port of Tauranga -- a city near White Island -- confirmed that passengers from the Cruise liner Ovation Of The Seas were on the island on Monday. However, it remains unclear whether the tourists were still on the island when the volcano erupted at 2:15 p.m. local time.

The tour to White Island had been officially organized by the cruise operator, a spokeswoman for the Port Of Tauranga told CNN Monday.

The vessel was set to leave the port on Monday, but will now stay at the port for an undisclosed amount of time.

The Ovation of The Seas is one of the largest cruise vessels in the world, according to operators Royal Caribbean. The company is headquartered in Miami, Florida.

At a press conference earlier, the country's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that government was working on the assumption that a number of people on the island at the time of the eruption were tourists.

Ovation of the Seas anchored in the Waitemata Harbour attracts attention from Devonport locals on December 27, 2016 in Auckland, New Zealand.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

from CNN.com - RSS Channel kalo berita gak lengkap buka link disamping https://ift.tt/36ikrPj