Questions mount over tours to deadly New Zealand volcano

Tour guides evacuate tourists on a boat shortly after the volcano eruption on White Island, New Zealand December 9, 2019 in this picture obtained from social media. @SCH/via REUTERS

WHAKATANE/WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Tourists caught in the deadly blast at New Zealand's White Island were there despite a recent increase in volcanic activity, although experts said precise predictions on eruptions were all but impossible.

Five people were killed, eight are still missing and more than 30 were injured when the White Island volcano, one of the most active in New Zealand, erupted in a steam and gas explosion on Monday. Many of the visitors were on a day tour from a cruise trip in a nearby port.