Volcanic blast hurts 23 on tourist boat

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. The rest of the passengers suffered burns, scrapes and other superficial injuries.

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

The molten rock is coming from the Kilauea volcano, which has been erupting since early May. But until now, the only serious injury was to a man who was hit by flying lava that broke his leg. Officials have warned of the danger of getting close to lava entering the ocean, which can create clouds of acid and fine glass. Despite the hazards, several companies operate such tours.

Shane Turpin, the owner and captain of the vessel that was hit, said his tour group had been making passes about 500 yards offshore when he navigated his vessel 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.”