Aotearoa Ua hoʻokūpaʻa ka mākaʻi aia ma ka liʻiliʻi he ʻelima mau kānaka i make ma hope o ka hū ʻana o kahi lua pele ma kahakai o ka Bay of Plenty. Ua hoʻokumu ʻia kahi hana hoʻopakele ma waena o nā hōʻike e pili ana ma kahi o 50 mau poʻe i noho a kokoke paha i ka mokupuni.
Ua haʻi mua nā mākaʻi ma mua o 50 mau kānaka i kokoke a i ʻole ma ka mokupuni i ka wā o ka pele, a ʻo kekahi o lākou e "ʻike ʻole ʻia," ʻoiai ua hoʻoneʻe ʻia kekahi. Ma ka liʻiliʻi ua hōʻike ʻia hoʻokahi kanaka ma ke ʻano he ʻeha nui.
ʻO ka hapanui o ka poʻe i hoʻopilikia ʻia e ka pele ua ʻōlelo ʻia he poʻe mākaʻikaʻi lākou i hōʻea i ka mokupuni ma luna o ka moku holo moana 'Ovation of the Sea,' ka moku holoholo nui loa ma ke ala.
"I kēia manawa, weliweli loa ia no ka mākaʻi a me ka hoʻopakele ʻana e hele i ka mokupuni ... [Ua] uhi ʻia i kēia manawa i ka lehu a me nā mea luaipele," i haʻi aku ai ka Hope Komikina o nā mākaʻi ʻo John Tims i ka poʻe kūkala nūhou.
Ua hū ka lua pele ma kahi o 2:11 pm ka manawa kūloko, e kīloi ana i ka lehu a me ka uahi hina 12,000 kapuaʻi i ka lewa.
Ua hoʻolaha ʻia kahi wahi lele ʻole a puni ka mokupuni.
ʻOiai ʻo ia ka luaipele ʻoi loa o ka ʻāina, maʻalahi i ka pele koke, ua noho ʻo White Island i wahi hoʻokipa kūkaʻikaʻi, e ʻumeʻume ana i ka lehulehu o nā malihini kipa i kēlā me kēia lā ma ka moku a me nā huakaʻi hele.
He aha e lawe ʻia mai kēia ʻatikala:
- The majority of those who have been affected by the eruption are said to be tourists who arrived on the island on board the cruise ship ‘Ovation of the Sea,' the largest cruise vessel on the route.
- Police earlier said that fewer than 50 people may have been near or on the island during the eruption, and some of them are still “unaccounted for,” while others have been evacuated.
- A rescue operation has been launched amid reports that around 50 people may have been on or near the island.
