Flying lava from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano hits tourist boat

Flying lava from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano hits tourist boat

23 people have been injured after flying lava struck a sightseeing boat off Hawaii’s Big Island.

The “lava bomb” explosion was caused by lava oozing into the ocean, sending molten rock into the air and through the roof of the boat.

See also: Island of Hawaii Volcano update 

The Guardian reports one passenger broke her thigh bone while three others were hospitalised and the rest suffered burns, scrapes and superficial injuries.

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The lava comes from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano which has been spewing gas and molten rock since it erupted in May.

The tourists were aboard a tour boat that gives visitors the chance to see lava plunging into the water.

The owner and captain of the boat, Shane Turpin, told the Guardian that he didn’t see the explosion that hit his boat and that the tour had been going for about 20 minutes and was 500 yards offshore when the incident occurred.

“As we were exiting the zone, all of a sudden everything around us exploded,” he said. “It was everywhere.”

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The BBC reports some passengers told Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources that the boat was outside a safety zone established by the coastguard.

Despite destroying hundreds of homes, this is the first serious injury from Kilauea’s latest eruption, besides a man whose leg was hit by molten rock from his balcony.

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