HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK – A tourist nearly fell into the caldera of an active volcano in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
The man fell 30 feet off a steep cliff after walking off a trail in hopes of getting a closer look at the eruption on the night of June 11. He had no flashlight or headlamp.
“A tree had broken the man’s fall and prevented him from plunging another hundred feet or so to the caldera floor, which could have resulted in his death,” said the NPS.
The 30-year-old visitor suffered minor facial injuries, but was ok otherwise, thanks to the Hawaii park’s search and rescue team, which rappelled down the cliff to reach the man and hoist him to safety.
“He told search and rescue rangers that he wanted a closer look at the Kilauea volcano eruption and got too close to the sheer cliff edge,” the NPS said.
That same night, a new eruption at Kilauea volcano generated lava fountains 1,000 feet tall and created massive lava flows on the crater floor, although it does not appear that the lava was necessarily in the same place that the man fell.
Visitors to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park are warned to stay on trails because cliff edges are often unstable, undercut, or hidden by vegetation.
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