Google removes reviews mocking White Island eruption

The eruption occured at 2.11pm yesterday. Photo / File

Google has removed a number of insensitive reviews from its online listing of White Island.

Newshub reported today the internet giant had deleted the reviews after being informed of their nature.

One reviewer wrote: "Great place for a barbecue."

While another said: "Beautiful island, Cool walk, Nice water. Cons: Nearly Died."\

Asked for comment on the offensive comments, a Google spokeswoman said the company removes reviews that violate its policy.

"If a user finds a review that they believe is in violation, they can flag it for removal and we use automated and manual systems to detect for spam and fraud," the spokeswoman said.

Individuals with negative intentions have been known to use the review section on Google to attack businesses in the past.

This is part of the reason why Google has established a policy to ensure that the standards of its review section are maintained.

The policy strictly prohibits any spam or fake content, saying: "Your content should reflect your genuine experience at the location and should not be posted just to manipulate a place's ratings. Don't post fake content, don't post the same content multiple times, and don't post content for the same place from multiple accounts.

When the White Island volcano erupted at 2.11pm yesterday there were 47 people on island.

Police have so far confirmed five deaths and have said that eight people are still missing. A total 34 are in seven hospitals with a range of injuries following the event.

There are fears at the moment that some of the injured may not survive due to the severity of their burns.