FIVE people were killed, 18 injured and several more left stranded after a volcano popular with tourists erupted unexpectedly in New Zealand today.

Police said some 50 people were visiting White Island when the volcano suddenly exploded in the early afternoon, hurling ash and rock high into the air.

Two dozen people made it off the island, five of whom died. The rest are being treated for injuries, including severe burns.

Nothing is yet known about a group, now estimated to number in the double digits, still trapped on the island.

“We’re unsure of the exact numbers on (the island) and we’re unsure of their well-being,” said deputy commissioner John Tims.

As night fell, he said, volcanic activity is making a rescue attempt too dangerous.

“The island is unstable. There’s a danger of further eruptions, and it is physically unsafe for us to return to the island.

“I’ve got to consider the safety of our people and emergency services staff.”

The eruption occurred at 2.11pm (0111 GMT), thrusting a thick plume of white ash 3.6km into the sky.

Seconds before, live camera feeds showed a group of more than half a dozen people walking on the crater floor. Then, the images went black.

A “considerable number” of those caught in the disaster are believed to be Australians, said officials in Canberra.

As many as 30 people are believed to be cruise passengers on a day trip from the vessel Ovation of the Seas, Kevin O’Sullivan, chief executive of industry body New Zealand Cruise Association, told AFP.

Ship operator Royal Caribbean, which had billed the trip to White Island as “an unforgettable guided tour of New Zealand’s most active volcano”, said “a number of our guests were touring the island”, but did not confirm the figure.

The vessel has a capacity of 4,000 people, and set sail from Sydney last week on a 12-day voyage.

Tourist Michael Schade made it off the island just in time, and was able to capture footage of the devastation.

His videos showed groups of startled visitors clustered by the shoreline, waiting to be evacuated as the ground around them smouldered, the sky filled with white debris. An ash-caked helicopter lies damaged nearby.

The National Emergency Management Agency described the eruption as “moderate”, although the plume of ash was clearly visible from the mainland and from satellites flying overhead.

White Island, also known as “Whakaari”, is about 50km offshore in the picturesque Bay of Plenty. It is popular with adventurous tourists willing to don hard hats and gas masks.

It is New Zealand’s most active volcano cone, and about 70% of it is underwater, according to government-backed agency GeoNet.

Some 10,000 people visit the volcano each year. It has erupted frequently over the last half-century, most recently in 2016.

In August that year, the New Zealand Defence Force airlifted a 2.4-tonne shipping container onto the island to serve as an emergency shelter in case of an eruption. – AFP, December 9, 2019.