WHAKATANE, New Zealand — They had taken boats to a desolate island to get a glimpse of a natural wonder, but when the White Island volcano erupted on Monday, a scene of stunning beauty suddenly turned into a deadly trap.

At least five people were killed when the volcano erupted on the island off the eastern coast of New Zealand, eight were still missing and 31 remained hospitalized with burns and other injuries. Three more people had been hospitalized and released.

Reconnaissance flights over the area have found no signs of life.

“To those who have lost or are missing family and friends, we share in your unfathomable grief at this moment in time and in your sorrow,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said at a news conference in Whakatane, a coastal community near the volcano. “Our duty,” she added, “is to return loved ones.”