Man hit by flying lava as eruption continues

A MAN has been injured after being hit by flying lava from a volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island.

Kilauea volcano began erupting more than two weeks ago and has burned dozens of homes and forced people to flee.

Plumes shot from its summit has forced officials to distribute face masks as ash fills the air.

Lava flows have grown more vigorous in past days, spattering molten rock that hit the victim on the leg.

He was outside his home on Saturday when the lava “hit him on the shin, and shattered everything from there down on his leg”, said a local government spokeswoman.

Lava flying through the air from cracks in the Earth can weigh as much as a refrigerator and even small pieces can be lethal, officials said.

The injury came the same day that lava streamed across a highway and flowed into the ocean.

The phenomenon sends hydrochloric acid and steam with glass particles into the air and can lead to lung, eye and skin irritation.

The highway has been closed in some places and residents in the area have been evacuated.

Scientists cannot say whether lava flows from nearly two dozen fissures will stop.

“We have no way of knowing whether this is really the beginning or toward the end of this eruption,” said Tom Shea, a volcanologist at the University of Hawaii.

The area affected by lava and ash is small and tourist activities on Big Island have not been affected.