'Unfathomable grief ' as 13 feared dead in New Zealand eruption

WHAKATANE, New Zealand (AFP) – New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern expressed ''unfathomable grief'' Tuesday after a volcanic eruption on a popular tourist island that is thought to have claimed 13 lives.

Ardern confirmed five fatalities and said another eight people were still missing after Monday's tragedy at White Island.

There was little hope of finding the missing alive, after overnight aerial reconnaissance flights found no signs of life.

''The focus this morning is on recovery and ensuring police can do that safely,'' she told a press conference.

Among those on the island during the cataclysm were tourists from Australia, the United States, Britain, China and Malaysia, as well as their New Zealand guides.

''To those who have lost or are missing family and friends, we share in your unfathomable grief and in your sorrow,'' Ardern said.

Ardern singled out ''our Australian family'' for sympathy, while her Australian counterpart Scott Morrison warned his compatriots to brace for ''a very hard day.''

Morrison said there were fears that three of the five dead were Australian, and another eight citizens were unaccounted for.

He described the tragedy as a ''time of great innocence and joy interrupted by the horror of that eruption.''

A total of 31 people – including 13 Australians – were in hospital with various injuries, some listed as critical with serious burns.

The eruption at White Island – also known as Whakaari – occurred just after 2:00 pm Monday (0100 GMT), thrusting a thick plume of white ash 3.6 kilometers (12,000 feet) into the sky.