‘Lava Bomb’ From Hawaii Volcano Hits Boat, Injuring 23 Passengers

Hawaii's Kīlauea has been continuing on its rampage of destruction this time hitting a local lava tour boat. Hawaii's County Civil Defense Agency reported on Monday that the continuously erupting volcano had hurled lava bombs and debris at the small touristic boat.

Early Monday morning, 23 people on a lava tour boat were injured when an explosion at the ocean entry hurled lava bombs and debris onto their boat. 4 passengers taken by ambulance to the hospital, one seriously injured with a fractured femur. Most other injuries were superficial.

— COH Civil Defense (@CivilDefenseHI) 16 July 2018

13 people sent to hospital

The Hawaii County Fire Department reported that 13 people were sent to hospital, four by ambulance and nine by private vehicle, while another 10 individuals were treated on the scene for minor injuries.

"The most serious injury was a traumatic leg injury suffered by a 20-year old woman," read a statement from the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR)

This is the photo of the lava tour boat that was hit from a littoral explosion near the ocean entry this morning. Photo and statement from Hawaii DLnR #HInews #KilaueaVolcano #KilaueaEruption #Hawaii pic.twitter.com/5sxgbWJeRm

— Anthony Quintano (@AnthonyQuintano) 16 July 2018

The boat was from the Lava Ocean Tours Inc. company and was considered to be within the 300-meter safety zone instituted by the US Coast Guard. There were a total of 52 people on board at the time of the accident.  

"Anyone conducting commercial ocean tours of the active ocean entry at Kapoho are required to have a commercial use permit from the DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR). The owner of the boat involved does have a current and valid permit," revealed the DLNR statement.

Active alerts continue

Monday afternoon at 4:15pm local time, the County Civil Defense Agency released another active alert update announcing that lava was continuing to ooze into the ocean near Ahalanui. "Explosions were reported from the ocean entry this morning, with at least one being quite strong."

The agency advised citizens to avoid the active flow field due to spillovers and other breakouts and to stay out of the ocean's plume to avoid exposure to hydrochloric acid and glass particles. Meanwhile, Friday saw the volcano create a mini island off of Hawaii's shores.

Better late than never! Here are photos from today's activity in #Kilauea's Lower East Rift Zone. Of special note is the new lava 'island' formed just offshore of the northern end of the ocean entry, which was mentioned in today's #HVO Status Update.#LERZ https://t.co/oIEvfvO0AE pic.twitter.com/l9IbOChjbq

— USGS Volcanoes? (@USGSVolcanoes) 14 July 2018

The US Geological Survey Volcanoes sector reported the new land along with some impressive pictures on its Twitter account. The new tiny island has appeared along the volcano's lower East rift zone.