New York: A man survived a 21-metre fall into one of the most active volcanoes on earth on Wednesday after he climbed over a metal guardrail at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, authorities said.

The man, who was not publicly identified, was trying to get a better look at the cliff edge when he lost his footing. He fell into the caldera, or crater, of Kilauea, a destructive volcano whose months-long eruption last year spewed ash, gas and lava into the air and destroyed an estimated 700 homes on the island of Hawaii.

Lava lake at the summit of Kilauea after its last eruption in May 2018. Credit:US Geological Survey

Kilauea is not currently erupting, the US Geological Survey said in its weekly report from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. But it said in a statement that Kilauea "ranks among the world's most active volcanoes and may even top the list".

The Geological Survey has ranked the volcano's threat potential as "very high".