Up to 50 tourists were on the island when the volcano erupted, sending plumes of ash about 3700 metres into the air. As many as 27 of those people were still missing on Monday night. Twenty-three people, including the five dead, were evacuated from the island on Monday, New Zealand deputy police commissioner, John Tims said. Officers said that more people were stranded on the island after the eruption. Some of those on the island at the time of the eruption were passengers on an Ovation of the Seas cruise ship, which left Sydney on December 4. Prime Minister Scott Morrison released a statement late on Monday night confirming 24 Australians were visiting the island as part of a cruise ship tour at the time of the eruption. He said "a number of Australians" had been hospitalised, but the precise figure was not known. "There are still people who are unaccounted for, including Australians. We are working to confirm this information with the NZ authorities," Mr Morrison said.

"We hope to know more in the morning, however we must prepare for some difficult news in the days ahead." The 'Family Links' web page, set up by the New Zealand Red Cross for families to register missing loved ones, listed 25 Australians as of 10pm on Monday. "Ovation of the Seas will remain overnight until we learn more about the situation. We will offer all possible assistance to our guests and local authorities," a spokeswoman for Royal Caribbean said. "Please keep all those affected in your prayers.”

A shot of the volcano erupting from the Westpac Rescue Helicopter. New Zealand media reported that one of those killed was a man from the nearby coastal town of Whakatāne who was an experienced guide for White Island Tours. "The young man that lost his life, I know him personally," former mayor Tony Bonne said. "It's very sad that he's lost his life. I know the family, it's been confirmed." However, an unspecified number of people believed to be on the island were unaccounted for and police Deputy Commissioner John Tims said the number of fatalities and injuries could rise. At a press conference on Monday evening, Mr Tims said the island was still too dangerous for rescuers.

Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video "We have taken advice from GeoNet and they have assisted us with making a risk assessment that the island is unstable," he said. "There are possibilities of further eruptions, but actually the physical environment is unsafe for us to return to the island." The eruption on the private island off the country's North Island sent massive plumes of steam and debris into the air and was visible from the mainland. The volcanic eruption in NZ.

The Whakatane Beacon had earlier reported that the first boatload of injured had arrived in Whakatāne. Families of passengers had gathered at the cordon awaiting news. Volcanic Air, which has been taking tours to the island since 1992, has confirmed that it had a helicopter on White Island at the time the volcano erupted, but said the five people on the aircraft had arrived back at Whakatāne. The company would not comment any further. The TECT Rescue helicopter and the Waikato Westpac Helicopter have been sent to the island. A TECT spokeswoman said the helicopters hadn't arrived at the island yet "because it's so dangerous".

"They're just trying to figure out how they can get the helicopters in. And how close we can get without it being very unsafe for our crew," she said. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the situation was still unfolding and she would travel to the area on Monday evening. "We know that there were a number of tourists on or around the island at the time, both New Zealanders and visitors from overseas," she said. "I know there will be a huge amount of concern and anxiety for those who have loved ones on or around the island at the time." The eruption on the privately owned island has forced the country's aviation code to be raised to orange as a warning related to potential ash in the air. The arrow indicates people were on Whakaari or White Island, in the Bay of Plenty, on New Zealand's North Island coast, when the volcano erupted on Monday. Credit:Geonet/Stuff

Whakaari is New Zealand's most active cone volcano. It last experienced a small eruption in 2013. GeoNet had registered moderate volcanic unrest on the island for weeks, before Monday afternoon's eruption. People being rescued after a volcano erupted on White Island off New Zealand's North Island. Credit:Michael Schade "Ash has covered the main crater floor as seen in our webcam images. Ash fall appears to be confined to the island and we do not expect more than a minor amount of ash to reach East Cape in the coming hours," it said. GNS monitoring equipment was still operating, and there had been a steady decline in activity since the eruption. Tourism expert professor Ross Dowling, from Edith Cowan University, said the number of tourists visiting active volcanos around the world was increasing.