Molten rock hits boat, injuring 23
Tourists were watchini Hawaiian volcano erupt
HONOLULU — An explosion caused by lava oozing into the ocean sent molten rock crashing through the roof of a sightseeing boat off Hawaii’s Big Island, injuring 23 people Monday, officials said.
A woman in her 20s was in serious condition with a broken thigh bone, the Hawaii County Fire Department said. Three others were in stable condition at a hospital with unspecified injuries.
They were aboard a tour boat that takes visitors to see lava plunging into the ocean from the long-erupting Kilauea volcano that has been vigorously shooting lava from a new vent in the ground for the past two months.
Shane Turpin, the owner and captain of the vessel, said he never saw the explosion that rained molten rocks down on his boat.
He and his tour group had been in the area for about 20 minutes making passes of the ocean entry, Turpin said.
He didn’t observe “any major explosions,” so he navigated his vessel closer.
“As we were exiting the zone, all of a sudden everything around us exploded,” he said.
Turpin says that he has been observing and documenting these explosions and that this type of activity is new. There were no warning signs, he said.
He said most of the injuries were minor, but he visited one woman who sustained serious injuries in the hospital.
The others in the tour group quickly pulled together to help one another, Turpin said.
“What I saw in humanity this morning was amazing. I mean this was a group of people that never met before, and they were brought together,” he said. “In all honesty, we definitely evaded a catastrophic event .”
Officials have warned of the danger of getting close to lava entering the ocean. Despite the hazards, several companies operate such tours.