New Zealand's prime minister says that there is no hope of finding survivors after Monday's eruptions.

Police in New Zealand commenced an investigation of the circumstances which led to at least five people on Monday lost their lives during the eruption of a volcano in New Zealand.

This was stated by superintendent John Tims at a press conference early Tuesday morning, Danish time.

- I can now confirm that we will initiate a criminal investigation of the circumstances surrounding the deaths and the kvæstelserne on White Island, he says, according to AFP news agency.

It was a total of 47 persons on the volcanic island of White Island, as the Monday went in the outbreak.

It was four tourists from Germany, two from the united kingdom, 24 from Australia, nine from the UNITED states, two from China and one from Malaysia.

in Addition, there were five local tourists from New Zealand.

The police according to news agency Reuters.

Five people are confirmed dead after Monday's natural disaster. In addition, eight others missing, as also is believed to have perished.

- I will certainly assess that there are no survivors on the island, says superintendent John Tims.

New Zealand's prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, expressed earlier Tuesday, "incredible sadness" and said that there was no more hope for finding survivors.

in addition to the five dead and eight missing people is 31 people admitted to hospitals with various degrees of burns.

27 of the injured have burns over 71 percent of the body, informs the authorities on Tuesday morning Danish time.

Some have burns on over 90 percent of the body. Thus, it is not certain that all of the inpatients will survive, underlines the authorities.

Former mayor of the city of Whakatane, Tony Bonne told on Tuesday to the newspaper the New Zealand Herald, that an experienced guide on the White Island are among the dead.

- A young energetic man has lost his life, said the former mayor.

Tourists were seen going down into the crater on the volcanic island of White Island, immediately before the outbreak happened.

The successful emergency personnel to evacuate 23 people from the island, after the volcano erupted on Monday afternoon local time.

There are no reports of danes in the area, announced the foreign ministry's Citizen service on Monday.

/ritzau/