AUCKLAND, New Zealand, March 17 (UPI) -- A volcano on Raoul Island, 620 miles from New Zealand, erupted Friday, damaging 12 acres and possibly killing a Conservation Department worker.
The missing worker had gone to Green Lake to check its water temperature, part of normal monitoring of volcanic activity.
The eruption started about 8:20 a.m. Friday and continued for about 30 minutes, the Geological and Nuclear Sciences Institute reported.
Two other staff members searched for the missing man but were thwarted by mud, ash and trees blown out by the explosion in the lake area. A twin-engine helicopter flew the three men and two women back to New Zealand.
Raoul is the largest of several islands that are summits of young volcanoes rising from the sea floor. They form a Conservation Department nature reserve.
Raoul Island last erupted from vents near Green Lake in November 1964, forcing workers to be evacuated.
