Killer volcano Whakaari could erupt again on a larger scale at any time, an expert has warned.
The active volcano island called Whakaari erupted three years ago and it is possible that it could erupt again "at any time" but "much larger", an expert has warned.
Whakaari, which is also known as White Island or the 'dramatic volcano', is an active volcano island in New Zealand's Bay of Plenty, according to the Daily Star.
Back in December 2019, the volcano island erupted while 47 tourists were on the island.
22 of these tourists sadly passed away - either at the time or later from the injuries they sustained.
The visitors who survived suffered horrifying injuries, including Stephanie Browitt who had severe burns on 70% of her body and was left in a coma for two weeks.
Some of the victims had to endure a long 90 minute boat journey to the mainland before they managed to receive medical attention. Others were rescued by commercial pilots flying helicopters.
While the volcano island has not erupted since 2019, Whakaari continues to display constant low-level volcanic activity.
According to Shane Cronin, a volcanologist and Whakaari expert at the University of Auckland, it could erupt again "at any time".
The volcano expert told Newsweek : "The monitoring of Whakaari has remained steady or slightly declined since 2019 because no one has been able to visit to service the seismic stations.
"The next eruption could happen at any time, given that the volcano can be triggered by several different mechanisms, both internal [new magma] or external [sealing of the top], both of which are highly unpredictable."
Currently, Whakaari is at Alert Level 2 which is higher than any of New Zealand's other active volcanoes.
This means that the volcanic island is showing "moderate to heightened volcanic unrest".
The alert scale can creep up to Alert Level 5, although Alert Level 2 is the highest a volcano can be without erupting.
Cronin added that Whakaari's next eruption could be a lot bigger than the one in 2019 in a stern warning to potential visitors.
The volcanologist explained: "The scale of the 2019 eruption was very small. Whakaari can produce eruptions of this size or much larger.
"On the Volcanic Explosivity Index Scale this eruption was a VEI 0 or possibly 1. This volcano could produce eruptions up to VEI 4-5."
Before the devastating eruption in 2019, the volcano erupted multiple times.
Between December 1975 and September 2000, it erupted continuously before erupting again in 2012 and 2016, leaving many to think that the volcano will soon strike again.
