Selfie-seeking tourists risk death climbing erupting volcano, Hawaii officials say

It appears not even an erupting volcano can discourage people from trying to get a great selfie.

Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano began erupting late on Dec. 20, including 164-foot-high “fountains” of lava, “occasion(al) blasts of uncertain origin” and clouds of toxic gas.

Yet, the National Park Service reports, it’s consistently catching people trying to reach the summit, mostly after dark.

“Despite these potentially lethal hazards, park rangers have cited dozens of careless individuals intent on snapping a photo or video for social media bragging rights,” the National Park Service said in a release.

The volcano is in within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and designated safe viewing areas have remained open during the eruption. However, none of the areas has a clear view of “molten lava,” which is why some individuals are risking danger to get closer.

Park officials have not said how close some have gotten, but no injuries have been reported.

Geologists warn the summit remains volatile due to “dangerous levels of volcanic gas, rockfalls, explosions and volcanic glass particulates” in the air. The ground sank nearly two inches in some spots around the caldera and remains unstable, the U.S. Geological Survey reports.

“All it takes is a slight change in wind direction and these offenders could inhale a fatal dose of volcanic gas. One misstep or a crumbling cliff edge and they could plunge into the vast pit of molten rock or to the crater floor,” said Chief Ranger Jack Corrao said in a release.

“We want to keep the park open so everyone can safely experience this beautiful new eruption, but when visitors enter closed areas, rangers must concentrate on these few individuals. This puts our staff in hazardous situations and causes them to shift their focus away from the safety of visitors experiencing the eruption in designated viewing areas,” he said.

As of Dec. 28, the volcano continues to erupt, resulting in a lava lake in the crater that is 580 feet deep, the USGS reported.

“Initially, the lava lake was rising several tens of meters (yards) per day; however, the lava lake level has not risen significantly over the past day,” officials reported Sunday.

This story was originally published December 28, 2020 at 11:12 AM with the headline "Selfie-seeking tourists risk death climbing erupting volcano, Hawaii officials say."