Australia & Pacifics

WHAKATANE, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand officials said they’ll begin Friday to recover eight victims’ bodies believed to remain on a small island since a volcanic explosion there earlier this week.

Continuing volcanic activity has delayed the retrieval of the eight bodies from ash-covered White Island, where an eruption occurred Monday as 47 tourists were exploring the landscape. Eight people were confirmed killed and dozens were severely burned in the blast of steam and ash.

WHAKATANE, New Zealand (Reuters) - Pouroto Ngaropo, standing on an ancient settlement site overlooking the island of Whakaari, recites his ancestry back thousands of years, back to the volcano which erupted there on Monday.

“Whakaari is my connection to the ocean, to the land, and to the environment around me ... we are one and she’s our ancestor,” said the 51-year old Māori spiritual leader whose genealogy is depicted in the tattoo art known as a ‘tā moko’ adorning his face.

WHAKATANE, New Zealand (AP) — A New Zealand island volcano vented more steam and mud Wednesday in an increase of geothermal activity that again delayed the recovery of victims’ bodies from a deadly eruption two days ago.

Volcanic tremors on White Island rose in the morning, accompanied by releases of more steam and mud, the GeoNet seismic monitoring agency said.

WELLINGTON, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirmed Tuesday that "no signs of life have been seen at any point" after helicopters and aircraft have undertaken a number of aerial reconnaissance flights over the island since a volcanic eruption.

Five people have been confirmed dead and eight others are still missing, presumed dead, in the volcanic eruption in New Zealand's White Island in the Eastern Bay of Plenty of the North Island on Monday. Thirty-one people are in seven hospitals and three have been discharged so far, according to the police.

SYDNEY (AP) — Wildfires engulfed the Australian city of Sydney on Tuesday in haze so thick in some places it was 11 times worse than the level considered “hazardous,” and was apt to trigger fire alarms.

The city canceled ferries and some offices in the downtown area were evacuated.

Local health officials advised people to stay indoors as much as possible and those with heart and lung problems were told to avoid all outdoor activity.

WHAKATANE, New Zealand (AP) — Survivors of a powerful volcanic eruption in New Zealand ran into the sea to escape the scalding steam and ash and emerged covered in burns, say those who first helped them.

The accounts Tuesday came as some relatives were forced to continue waiting for news of their loved ones, with authorities deciding it remained too dangerous for crews to land on the island and remove bodies.

WELLINGTON, Dec 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) — About 100 tourists were “on or around” New Zealand’s White Island volcano when it erupted on Monday, and an unknown number are unaccounted for, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.

“It is very much an evolving situation and of course all our thoughts are with those affected,” she told reporters in Wellington, shortly after the eruption.

New Zealand’s White Island volcano erupted suddenly on Monday, prompting fears for a group of visitors seen walking on the crater floor moments before. 

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A volcano on a small New Zealand island frequented by tourists erupted with a large plume of ash and steam Monday, killing one person and leaving others injured or missing.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said about dozens of tourists were on or near White Island when it erupted in the afternoon. Police later said one person had been confirmed killed.

Ardern said at an afternoon news briefing that people who were injured in the eruption were being transported to shore. She said the incident appeared to be “very significant.

WELLINGTON, Dec 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) – New Zealand will phase out more single-use plastics, the government announced today (Sunday).

A report, Rethinking Plastics in Aotearoa New Zealand, was released by the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Adviser, Prof Juliet Gerrard, which highlighted New Zealand’s position in plastics use, and gave recommendations for further changes.

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Firefighters in eastern Australia used easing weather conditions on Sunday to bring bushfires under control ahead of forecast of soaring temperatures for next week.

There were 96 fires burning in New South Wales, home to Australia’s largest city of Sydney, with only about a half contained and more than 1,600 firefighters deployed to do back burning and create containment lines.