Officials at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park say a Hawaiian died last week after he went into a closed-off section of the Kilauea volcano.
Park officials said Tuesday their personnel responded to the incident in the eastern part of the Kilauea caldera, or crater, on Feb. 26 overnight into Feb. 27.
They found a 33-year-old man in an area with “steep and hazardous terrain” and had him airlifted to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Park officials did not disclose the dead man’s identity for privacy reasons, nor did they specify his cause of death.
Officials said that the “Kilauea caldera contains hazardous terrain, including unstable cliff edges and volcanic features. Visitors are reminded to remain in designated open areas and comply with all closures.”
The volcano was not erupting at the time of the incident, officials said.
The most recent burst of lava in the Halemaumau Crater eruption ended on Feb. 15, and the next episode is not expected until sometime between next Tuesday and March 16, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said Wednesday.
The eruption has been happening periodically since Dec. 23, 2024.
