Australian man is 20th fatality from New Zealand volcanic eruption
LA TimesAn aerial photo shows White Island after its volcanic eruption on Dec. 9, 2019. A man who died in an Australian hospital became the 20th casualty of a New Zealand volcanic eruption more than a month ago, officials said on Monday. White Island, also known by its Maori name, Whakaari, is the tip of an undersea volcano about 30 miles off New Zealand’s North Island and was a popular tourist destination before the eruption. 1 / 6 The White Island volcano erupted Monday in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, while a group of tourists were on the island. Many people have questioned why tourists were still allowed on the island after New Zealand’s GeoNet seismic monitoring agency raised the volcano’s alert level on Nov. 18 from 1 to 2 on a scale where 5 represents a major eruption, noting an increase in sulfur dioxide gas, which originates from magma.