New footage shows panicked moments after White Island eruption
A new video shows tourists taking pictures at White Island in gas masks minutes before the crater exploded in an eruption that killed at least eight people.
The 12-minute clip published on Thursday morning by Allessandro Kauffmann shows smokes coming out of the volcano before he and other visitors are urged to go into the boat.
The video began with passengers motoring out to the island. They were then shown walking towards the crater and taking selfies in gas masks and helmets.
“You may need to use your mask up there, OK? If you do get engulfed by the steam, basically turn your back to it and, if you need to, you can just crouch down,” a guide could be heard instructing the tourists.
The tourists had finished the trip and returned to the boat when the footage showed them watching ashes from the eruption clouding the view of the island.
“Go, go, go, go, please,” one passenger said.
“We’ve got to get out of here,” one yelled.
Kauffmann wrote on Instagram that they had only left the island five minutes prior to the eruption.
“Two tours on the volcano. Ours was the first. The other one right after … This other tour that arrived after couldn’t leave in time.”
The video has been deleted since, but copies have been uploaded to Youtube and other sites.
There were 47 people on the island when the eruption occurred.