AUCKLAND - A paramedic who flew to New Zealand's White Island to rescue tourists after Monday's volcanic eruption has said the scene was like something out of "the Chernobyl mini-series".
"Everything was blanketed in ash," Russell Clark told TVNZ.
Dozens of tourists were on the island at the time. Six have been confirmed dead. Eight others are feared to have died and about 30 have serious burns.
New Zealand's PM Jacinda Ardern praised the crews of four rescue helicopters.
"Those pilots made an incredibly brave decision under extraordinarily dangerous circumstances in an attempt to get people out," she told reporters on Tuesday.
"To those who have lost or are missing family and friends, we share in your unfathomable grief and in your sorrow," she added.
At least 47 people from around the world were on the island at the time of the eruption.
Questions are being asked about why tourists were allowed to approach New Zealand's most active volcano three weeks after seismologists raised its alert level, describing the situation as "moderate to heightened volcanic unrest".
"These questions must be asked and they must be answered," Ms Ardern said in Parliament on Tuesday. A police investigation is under way.
Geological hazard monitoring group GeoNet warned last week that White Island "may be entering a period where eruptive activity is more likely than normal" - but it also said "the current level of activity does not pose a direct hazard to visitors".
Currently, the alert level is at three, indicating the risk of a "minor volcanic eruption".
Thirty-four people were rescued, and most of them are still receiving treatment in hospital.
Officials say they have burns to more than 30% of their bodies. Several others are also suffering from inhalation burns. Doctors say some may not survive.
Police said they were "unsure" what state the bodies that remained on the island were in, saying they were probably "covered in ash".
White Island remains too dangerous to access, but reconnaissance flights conducted earlier on Tuesday saw no survivors.(FA)