Thousands flee after earthquake in Hawaii
THOUSANDS of people have been forced to flee after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake shook Hawaii’s Big Island, triggering the collapse of a coastal cliff and prompting fresh eruptions of a volcano that has been spewing lava near residential areas.
No injuries have been reported but several homes were destroyed or badly damaged by the quake on Friday, the biggest to hit the island since 1975, authorities said. It caused small sealevel changes but no tsunamis.
The US Geological Survey said the quake struck at 12:32 pm and was centred on the south flank of the Kilauea volcano, which first erupted on Thursday after a series of tremors.
A 5.7-magnitude tremor hit the island earlier on Friday. The quakes prompted the Kilauea volcano, one of five active on the island, to erupt.
The quakes triggered rock slides on trails in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and caused a cliff to collapse into the ocean.
Officials ordered a rare closure of the park, which covers more than a tenth of the island’s total surface. About 2,600 visitors were evacuated.
“It is currently not safe to be here,” Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando said in a statement.
Molten lava could also be seen bubbling up through cracks on streets in the Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens neighbourhood, where residents were ordered to evacuate on Thursday.
The area is home to about 1,700 people and 770 structures, and some 10,000 people live in the broader district potentially impacted.