Two British women are among those injured by a volcanic eruption in New Zealand, which has left at least five people dead and 31 in hospital with several still missing.
There are also five people with a UK birthplace marked missing on a Red Cross list of missing persons, which is updated by the public rather than officials.
The UK’s high commissioner to New Zealand, Laura Clarke, said she and her colleagues were supporting the two women’s families and would do the same for “any other Brits who need our help”.
Prime minister Jacinda Ardern has said 47 people were estimated to be on White Island, in the Bay of Plenty, when the volcano blasted a huge plume of ash and steam into the air on Monday.
Police said that despite spotting “some people” on the island in daring aerial reconnaissance efforts since the blast, rescuers saw “no signs of life” at any point.
Official enquiries with tour companies suggest eight people are still unacounted for. Deputy commissioner John Tims told reporters rescue efforts would resume once conditions improve.
A volcano has erupted on a small island in New Zealand where dozens of tourists were exploring on Monday afternoon.
One person was killed, several injured and others reported missing on White Island, after the volcano spewed ash and steam into the air.
New Zealand volcano suddenly erupts with dozens nearby, killing at least one
Several people unaccounted for as ash cloud envelopes popular tourist spotTwenty-three people have been taken off the island, including those with injuries, police deputy commissioner John Tims said.
One death was confirmed, and Mr Tims said the number was likely to rise.
He said it was too dangerous for police and rescue services to travel to the island but they wanted to urgently get back as quickly as they could. There had been no contact with those who remained missing on the island, he added.
"My god," wrote Michael Schade on Twitter as he posted video of the eruption. "My family and I had gotten off it 20 minutes before, were waiting at our boat about to leave when we saw it. Boat ride home tending to people our boat rescued was indescribable."
His video showed a wall of ash and steam around the island and a helicopter badly damaged and covered in ash.
He said one woman was badly injured but seemed "strong" by the end.
Royal Caribbean International said guests from its cruise ship Ovation of the Seas had been visiting White Island.
"A number of our guests were touring the island today," the company said. "We will offer all possible assistance to our guests and local authorities. Please keep all those affected in your prayers."
The company statement said the ship would remain there overnight until it learned more on the situation.
Five people died in the White Island volcanic eruption, police have confirmed.
Volcanic eruption kills five people in New Zealand, police say
Five people have died in the White Island volcanic eruption in New Zealand, police have said. Emergency workers are unable to access the island. White Island exploded with ash and steam on Monday while some 50 people were nearby, authorities said earlier. Among those caught up in the eruption were New Zealanders and tourists, including from Australia.
The number of people missing on the island is in the double digits, police said.
St. John Ambulance said up to 20 people were believed to have been injured in the eruption, adding that a mobile triage unit was on its way.
The organisation said it had sent seven helicopters to the island with medics onboard.
Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand's prime minister, said she was travelling to the region late on Monday.
Ms Ardern said people who were injured in the eruption were being transported to shore. She said the eruption appeared to be "very significant."
"All our thoughts are with those affected," she said.
Deputy commissioner Tims said foreigners and New Zealand nationals were on White Island when the volcano erupted.
He said police are unsure of the exact number of people on island but due to risks emergency services cannot access the island at the moment.
Brad Scott, a volcanologist with research group GNS Science, said the eruption sent a plume of steam and ash about 12,000 feet (3,660 meters) into the air. He said it had also affected the whole of the White Island crater floor.
The GeoNet agency, which monitors volcanoes and earthquakes in New Zealand, at first raised its alert level to four, on a scale where five represents a major eruption. It later dropped the alert level back down to three. Mr Scott said that was because the eruption was not sustained beyond the initial blast.
Today's explosion was the first fatal eruption on White Island since 1914, when twelve people were killed when the island was being mined for sulfur.
Part of a crater wall collapsed and a landslide destroyed the miners' village and the mine itself.
A webcam set up on White Island shows at least one group of tourists were inside the crater moments before it erupted.
A crater rim camera owned and operated by New Zealand geological hazards agency GeoNet shows groups of people walking near the rim inside the crater, where white smoke constantly billows at a low level, in the hour leading up to the eruption at 2.11pm. The camera captures and posts images online every 10 minutes.
It is unclear whether the group, which appears to be made up of around a dozen people, were alerted to flee or were continuing a tour, unaware of the looming danger.
Australia's prime minister, Scott Morrison, said he had offered his New Zealand counterpart his support.
"Australians have been caught up in this terrible event and we are working to determine their wellbeing," Mr Morrison tweeted.
Twenty-four Australians were on White Isand when the volcano erupted, Australian media said.
Already people are questioning why tourists were still able to visit the island after scientists recently noted an uptick in volcanic activity.
GeoNet raised the alert level on White Island from one to two on 18 November, noting an increase in the amount of sulfur dioxide gas, which originates from magma deep in the volcano.
It also said at the time that over the previous weeks, the volcanic tremor had increased from weak to moderate strength.
Mr Scott, the volcanologist with research group GNS Science, said the alert level was often raised and then later dropped again without any eruption.
He said there had not been any major incidents with tourists visiting the island in the past, although there had been some close calls.
Mr Scott said it was not for him to say whether the island was safe enough to host tourists immediately before Monday's eruption.
The eruption was unexpected, but not unusual, an expert has said.
"Sudden, unheralded eruptions from volcanoes such as White Island can be expected at any time," Shane Cronin, a volcanologist at University of Auckland, said in comments published by the Australia Science Media Centre.
"We know hydrothermal and so-called 'phreatic' eruptions can occur suddenly and with little or no warning because they are driven by the expansion of super-heated water into steam," he added.
More fatalities are expected on White Island, otherwise known by its Maori name Whakaari.
Ms Ardern, New Zealand's prime minister, said the focus remained on the search and rescue mission for now and questions about whether tourists should be visiting would be addressed later.
"We know that there were a number of tourists on or around the island at the time, both New Zealanders and visitors from overseas," she told a news conference.
"I know there will be a huge amount of concern and anxiety for those who had loved ones on or around the island at the time. I can assure them that police are doing everything they can."
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