More than 20 hurt, including woman with broken leg, after lava from Kilauea volcano shot out of ground

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

An explosion caused by lava oozing into the ocean has sent molten rock crashing through the roof of a sightseeing boat off Hawaii’s Big Island, injuring 23 people.

The “lava bomb,” which burst from the water near the boat as molten rock poured into the ocean, landed on the roof of the vessel and crashed into the seating area, said Hawaii County Fire Department Battalion chief, Darwin Okinaka.

A woman in her 20s was in serious condition with a broken thigh bone, the department said. Three others were in stable condition at a hospital with unspecified injuries. The rest of the passengers suffered burns, scrapes and other superficial injuries.

Mileka Lincoln (@MilekaLincoln) #LeilaniEstatesEruption #KilaueaVolcano UPDATE: Unbelievable footage from #IkaikaMarzo's crew on board the #KalapanaCulturalTours #lava boat captures the #lavaexplosion that sent #lavabombs flying onto a tour boat, injuring 12 people https://t.co/h193ZfuIRP @HawaiiNewsNow #HINews pic.twitter.com/cvYg0CLDUk

They were aboard a tour boat that takes visitors to see lava plunging into the ocean from a long-erupting volcano that has been vigorously shooting lava from a new vent in the ground for the past two months. The lava punctured the boat’s roof, leaving a gaping hole, firefighters said.

Shane Turpin, the owner and captain of the vessel that was hit, said he never saw the explosion that rained molten rocks down on top of his boat.

He and his tour group had been in the area for about 20 minutes making passes of the ocean entry about 500 yards offshore, Turpin said.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The damaged roof of boat. Photograph: HO/AFP/Getty Images

He didn’t observe “any major explosions,” so he navigated his vessel closer, to about 250 yards away from the lava.

“As we were exiting the zone, all of a sudden everything around us exploded,” he said. “It was everywhere.”

Turpin said he had no idea just how big the blast was until he saw video of the event later on shore.

“It was immense,” he said. “I had no idea. We didn’t see it.”

Turpin says that he has been observing and documenting these explosions and that this type of activity is new. There were no warning signs before the blast, he said.

“There’s something new. There’s something really new,” he said. “And I’ve been documenting them a bit.”

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Turpin has been navigating lava tour boats for many years and has lived on the Big Island since 1983.

He said most of the injuries were minor, but that he had just visited one woman who sustained serious injuries in the hospital.

Officials have warned of the danger of getting close to lava entering the ocean, saying the interaction can create clouds of acid and fine glass. Despite the hazards, several companies operate such tours.

The US Coast Guard in May instituted a safety zone where lava flows into the ocean off the Big Island. It prohibits vessels from getting closer than 984 feet (300 meters) from ocean-entry points.

The agency allows experienced boat operators to apply for a special license to get up to 164 feet (50 meters) from where lava sizzles into the sea.

The molten rock is coming from the Kilauea volcano, which has been erupting continuously for the past 35 years. In May, its eruption entered a new phase when it began spurting lava through newly formed fissures in a residential neighborhood.

Officials were interviewing injured passengers at a hospital.