A lahar occurred at Mt Ruapehu volcano this afternoon. A wall of debris 300 m long, consisting of trees, branches, and rocks flowed down the Whangaehu River at the front of the lahar. The Department of Conservation rated the lahar as moderate. The river level rose by 2 metres and temporarily closed a road. The lahar was caused by a small breach in Ruapehu crater lake wall, which released water for about 45 minutes. The partial collapse of the volcano crater lake rim set off emergency warning systems, and the lahar was tracked flowing down the mountain. About 200 train passengers were stranded when the northbound Overlander train was stopped at Waiouru. Passengers were transferred to busses to complete the journey. The lahar passed over farm land and headed towards the sea.
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About John Seach
- John Seach
- John Seach is a scientist and the world's leading volcano adventurer. Over the past 24 years John has traveled to the world's most exciting volcanoes, and witnessed eruptions during trips to more than 200 volcanoes. John's work has been featured on award winning television programmes. John is the founder of "Volcano Live", the world's first volcano news and volcano travel website.