Hawaii tour boat suffers from ‘lava bomb’; 23 injured

Monday morning’s boat tour had ended in a disaster where 23 people were injured.

An explosion sent lava crashing through the roof of a tour boat off Hawaii’s Big Island, injuring 23 people Monday, officials said. The lava punctured the boat’s roof and it returned to Wailoa Harbor, the fire department said.

Hilo Medical Center confirmed 13 passengers were treated at the hospital, and another 10 passengers with superficial injuries were treated on arrival at Wailoa Harbor.

Of the 13 injured passengers, four were taken by ambulance to Hilo Medical Center, according to the Hawaii County Fire Department.

One woman in her 20s was in serious condition with a fractured femur, the fire department said. Three passengers were in stable condition.

The lava bomb, or flying chunk of molten rock, left a large hole in the boat’s roof, the fire department said. A railing was also damaged.

READ ALSO: 87 homes destroyed in 4 weeks by the Kilauea volcano eruption in Hawaii

It was unclear exactly where or when the incident occurred. But from where lava is hitting the ocean to the harbor is about an hour’s boat ride, depending on waves.

The sightseers 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. 

Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano erupted in early May, sending a smoldering flow of lava into residential areas on the Big Island. Kilauea was still erupting lava as of Sunday, according to the United States Geological Survey.

A witness who saw the boat return said there were rocks all over it, and some people leaving the boat had burns and gashes on their legs. One person was taken off on a stretcher.

The boat reportedly holds 49 people, but it was unknown how many people were on board.

Officials have warned of the danger of getting close to lava entering the ocean, saying the interaction can create clouds of acid and fine glass. Besides the hazards, several companies operate such tours.

The US Coast Guard in May instituted a safety zone where lava flows into the ocean off the Big Island. It prohibits vessels from getting closer than 300 meters from ocean-entry points.

The agency allows experienced boat operators to apply for a special license to get up to 50 meters from where lava sizzles into the sea.