RED ALERT AS ASH BILLOWS FROM HAWAIIAN VOLCANO

A MASSIVE plume of volcanic ash burst from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano on Tuesday, prompting authorities to issue warnings about air quality and the likelihood of a major eruption.

The Hawaiian County Civil Defense Agency said rock falls and gas explosions from one of the craters on Kilauea had caused the ash plume, which was drifting downwind to the southwest.

Authorities said the ash cloud was as high as 3600m and had prompted a code red aviation alert.

They warned that residents in the path of the cloud could experience respiratory problems and urged people to avoid exposure and to drive with caution.

The new burst of ash came as a new fissure opened on the Big Island, where the crater is located, bringing to 20 the total number of lava-oozing cracks caused by the volcano eruption on May 3.

“Condition RED means immediate danger to health so take action to limit further exposure,” the agency said in a statement.

Picture: GETTY IMAGES Golfers play on, unperturbed, as an ash plume rises in the distance from the Kilauea volcano on Hawaii's Big Island.