New Zealand Volcano: At least eight dead after White Island eruption

[LilyWhiteSpur]

There's a big difference between "the volcano isn't dormant but what are the chances" and "there are signs that an eruption might be coming" though. I'm guessing/hoping that increased activity was mentioned (since it went from danger level 1 to 2), but that it was probably still almost impossible to (correctly) predict the moment of an eruption. Activity could decrease again or it could take weeks/months/even years before it erupted, volcanoes are unpredictable like that.

It's still something which needs to be examined imo, and one shouldn't hide behind arguments like "it was an accident, just move on" or "they knew what they were getting into". If it is indeed like many say it is, i.e. couldn't possibly be accurately predicted by anyone, no one should fear criminal prosecution or have to take responsibility. However, just as an example, I've read that there was a kind of container which was put there to offer shelter in case of an eruption, yet it was placed incorrectly or something like that. Surely things like that need to be investigated in the aftermath of this, without having to put blame on anyone or point the finger to the tour operator.

The volcano is active, it smokes, it’s a smaller type and while there is an *activity level* for larger volcanoes smaller ones seem much more unpredictable. There should be no tours at active volcanoes never mind around them. There is always a risk and we have no reliable indicators.

@Dwazza Gunnar Solskjær post article explains it well. Volcanologists even when they visit a volcano they are head to toe in protective gear no mater what the *activity level* simply because they don’t know for sure what will happen. These tourists were most likely in T-shirt’s and flip flops, if anyone is to blame its governments to pass legislation that these tours shouldn’t be allowed. You have to remember here it’s more than likely that your guides also lost their lives.

 

[Dargonk]

Just realised that when we were over there, we nearly ended up taking the trip to visit this exact spot. Though decided not to in the end due to funds and it being slightly away from our route. At the time I assumed it was perfectly safe if they were taking tourists there, as the definition of active volcano doesn't mean it is actually erupting

 

[buchansleftleg]

Surprised this thread is as quiet as it is!

I always thought these things were somewhat predictable. Surely an eruption like that doesn’t come with zero warning?

stupid question but what is it that has likely killed people? Smoke/fume inhalation? I’ve not seen footage but I’m assuming that’s what it is?

although seeing the size of the cloud, falling debris from 100s ft up probably didn’t help

Well there is a whole range of potential killers.

Initial Blast wave can cause death by physical trauma - there are other reports of visitors being rescued with other blunt trauma, some of which could be life altering or complicate recovery.

Pyroclastic flow of ash / gas - burning hot wind at 400-600 degrees travelling at speeds over 100mph - you dont' want to get caught in those

Chemical burns - the ash can also contain stuff like sulphur that makes burns go really deep and continue to damage tissue beyond what normal burn treatment would deal with.

Deep tissue burns - given the extremes of temperature, even if you took shelter in the containers they had dotted around the island you could experience full thickness burns from even marginal exposure or proximity. These are difficult to treat and there is a rough calculation around % of the body exposed to full thickness burns beyond which you will not be likely to survive. Patients are put into a coma usually to avoid the horrors of trying to recover from this if they are in a "survivable" % of exposure.

Smoke inhalation - Smoke inhalation can complicate any recovery from burns and can affect mortality even days after the event. Of the injured we can possibly expect a higher number of further fatalities in the coming days than with other major events. Usually once people get to Hospital they can be kept stable, but given these type of injuries people can continue to become sicker and die many days or even weeks later.

 

[barros]

I remember watching this years ago. Gives you a little taste of the power of these things.

Damn I didn't know an eruption will give a shockwave like a bomb, the people in those ships were lucky because if the wind started blowing in their direction they would be dead with deadly gases.