Skiers Flee Eruption in New Zealand
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WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A volcano at a ski resort on New Zealand’s northern island erupted Saturday, firing plumes of ash, rocks and steam into the air and unleashing three mudflows.
Skiers were evacuated from the area around Mt. Ruapehu, about 150 miles north of Wellington, the capital, to the lower slopes of the mountain, said Detective Sgt. Derek Webb in nearby Taumarunui.
Seven badly shaken but uninjured hikers were picked up by authorities near the volcano’s crater lake, Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio said. There were no immediate reports of missing or injured.
Eyewitness Andrew Baucke described the eruption on New Zealand TV: “You could see sparks and rocks shooting out. Hissing lines of steam came off objects that had been thrown out. Then the clouds started billowing up really, really high. The cloud would be about three or four times the height of the mountain.
“Within five seconds a huge black mudslide started slipping down the left-hand side of the Turoa ski field,” he said.
At about 9,200 feet, Mt. Ruapehu is the highest volcanic cone on the North Island and last erupted in 1988.
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