The volcanic island Whakaari, also called White Island, explosively erupted in New Zealand's northeastern Bay of Plenty region on 9 December 2019 at 2:11 pm NZDT. There were 47 people on or near the island at the time. The amount of people killed is currently 22, including 2 people that went missing and are believed to be dead. 25 people were injured, many critically.