Right now it's 4 a.m. in New Zealand, so updates have slowed down from the region for the night.

Sunrise at White Island is at 5:43 a.m., which is when a New Zealand Defense Force ship is expected to deploy drones and observational equipment to assess the environment. Overnight authorities said a specialist disaster victim identification team were also awaiting deployment in the nearby port town of Whakatane. Police have called it a "recovery operation."

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden arrived in Whakatane earlier, where she was due to meet with search and rescue authorities.

She is expected to give an update at a press conference as the nation wakes up at around 7 a.m. local (1 p.m. ET).

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In the latest update from authorities, at least five people were confirmed dead from the volcano eruption, 18 people were in hospital and at least 10 people were still missing.

However, police earlier police said "no signs of life have been seen at any point," and that based on the information they have, they "do not believe there are any survivors on the island."