New Zealand Evacuates Remote Island as Volcano Erupts
Date: 20-Mar-06
Country: NEW ZEALAND
The long-range Russian-made helicopter made the marathon flight to Raoul Island in the Kermadec group after the eruption caused a steam and ash plume and spewed mud from a lake, the Department of Conservation said.
Six department staff work on the island, about 1,000 km (600 miles) northeast of New Zealand and part of a nature reserve.
One man could not be contacted after he went on a routine mission to check the water temperature of the lake, the department said.
"Two staff went to investigate the area where the missing person was thought to be and they found that the track was impassable and further volcanic activity occurred and they retreated," Conservation spokeswoman Liz Maire told Reuters.
The helicopter had carried out an aerial reconnaisance, but seen no sign of the missing staff member, who could also not be contacted by radio.
A plan for a search and rescue mission would be determined after the helicopter returned to New Zealand early on Saturday, Maire said.
A department spokeswoman told the New Zealand Press Association that the craft had refuelled on the island before heading back to the mainland.
Rescue Co-ordination Centre New Zealand identified the craft as a 25-seat Mil Mi 8 heavy lifter, fitted with long-range fuel tanks that give it a range of about 770 nautical miles (just over 1,400 km).
The Kermadec Islands are a chain stretching about 250 km (160 miles) along the volcanically active Kermadec Trench. It is an area where the Pacific and Indo-Australian tectonic plates meet and earthquakes are common.