A foolish tourist plunged 30 feet off a cliff while trying to get ‘a closer look’ at one of the world’s most active volcanoes.
Disaster struck on June 11, when the 30-year-old Boston man veered from the Byron Ledge Trail at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park with no headlamp or flashlight.
He was trying to get a better view of the famous volcano Kīlauea as it erupted – but ended up falling off a steep cliff, according to a statement from the park service.
Fortunately, a tree branch broke the Bostonian’s fall and stopped him from plummeting 100 feet to the volcano’s caldera.
If the branch had not been there, he would have slammed into the gaping hollow surrounding the volcano, ‘which could have resulted in his death,’ the park service wrote.
The park’s search and rescue team rushed to the scene to perform the ‘high-angle’ operation, which involved cautiously climbing down the cliff and hauling the tourist to safety.
The man, whose name has not been publicly released, suffered minor injuries to his face from the dramatic fall.
Employees of the major tourist attraction have warned other visitors not to stray from the park’s trails.
The park’s search and rescue team rushed to the scene to perform the ‘high-angle’ operation
A recent surge of eruptions has sent visitors flocking to the park to watch the magma spew from the roughly 280,000-year-old landmark
‘Stay on marked trails and overlooks. Do not approach earth cracks or cliff edges, the edge is often unstable, undercut, or hidden by vegetation or loose rocks,’ the statement reads.
‘Do not climb over rock walls, railings, or safety barriers, they are there for your safety.’
People should also keep a close eye on their group, particularly children, wear appropriate footwear for hiking and carry a flashlight or headlamp at night.
Kīlauea is the youngest and most active volcano in Hawaii and one of the most active in the world.
It is also the island’s most dangerous one, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
A recent surge of eruptions has sent visitors flocking to the park to watch the magma spew from the roughly 280,000-year-old landmark.
Photos shared by the park show visitors eager for a glimpse of the natural occurrence lining up along the side of a nearby highway, causing miles-long traffic pileups.
It began erupting on June 11 for the 25th time since December 23, 2024, according to the park service.
The December eruption was Kīlauea’s eighth one since 2020, the USGS reported.
Disaster struck on June 11, when the 30-year-old Boston tourist veered from the Byron Ledge Trail at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park with no headlamp or flashlight
Photos shared by the park show visitors eager for a glimpse of the natural occurrence lining up along the side of a nearby highway, causing miles-long traffic pileups
The longest and most destructive recorded eruption from Kilauea persisted from January 1983 to April 2018 and caused significant property damage, including the destruction of two towns in 1990 and a renowned black sand beach.
In 2018, roughly 2,000 people had to be evacuated from their homes because of an eruption.
Kīlauea killed at least four people in the 1900s, according to the USGS.
In 1993, a visitor wandered onto the seacoast bench, a landmass surrounding the volcano, and died as it collapsed.
Two campers at Halape, the beach and campground near Kīlauea, died from a tsunami that followed an earthquake caused by volcanic activity in 1975.
Kīlauea’s death toll includes earthquakes, as they are linked to volcanic activity.
In 1924, a photographer died as rocks flew from Halema`uma`u, one of the volcano’s crater pits, and struck him.
From 1983 to 2003, five tourists died from exposure to sulfur dioxide (SO2), a toxic gas emitted from eruptions.
It began erupting on June 11 for the 25th time since December 23, 2024
Employees of the major tourist attraction have warned other visitors not to stray from the park’s trails (pictured)
Mass casualty incidents occurred in earlier years, including a 1868 disaster that killed 46 people, according to the USGS.
This catastrophe occurred when ‘a huge earthquake caused widespread shaking, coastal subsidence, and a tsunami that destroyed several villages.’
Circa 1790, a caldera explosion killed anywhere from 80 to 5,405 ‘warriors,’ ‘people,’ or ‘countrymen,’ according to the earliest written accounts from the volcano’s earliest witnesses.
The USGS noted the smaller headcount is likely more accurate.
