Wellington - New Zealand's Mount Ruapehu erupted without
warning Tuesday night, and at least two people were reported to be
injured as lahars, or volcanic mudflows, swept down the mountain.
Civil defence officials ordered skiing areas evacuated and police
closed roads in the area, including the North Island's main state
highway and railway line, which run near the foot of the 2,797-metre
high mountain.
Scientist Brad Scott told TV3 the eruption, which lasted seven
minutes, followed a small earthquake measuring 2.8 on the Richter
scale.
Sketchy news reports said a mountaineer and a worker on a snow
groomer had been injured but there was no immediate confirmation.
People were advised to stay off the mountain until it was ruled
safe, but Paul Wheatcroft, a local council official, told Radio New
Zealand. 'At this stage it's not a civil defence emergency.'
It was not known how many people were staying in huts or chalets
on the mountain, but it was the first week of spring school holidays,
when many families often go to two skiing areas.
Officials said the number of lahars and the impact of what was
declared a level two eruption on a scale of five could not be
established until daybreak Wednesday.
Volcanologist Craig Miller said it appeared they were a lot
smaller than the last lahar on March 18 which swept thousands of
tonnes of rock-filled water harmlessly down the mountain after
activating alarms and safety systems installed following a disaster
54 years earlier.
On Christmas Eve 1953, 151 people died when a rail bridge was
swept away shortly before the night express between the capital
Wellington and the biggest city Auckland passed over it.
Officials said the March lahar, which was crated when the
volcano's steaming crater lake burst its banks, travelled down the
predicted path and the early warning response system worked exactly
as planned.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
USA
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