An elderly Hawaiian man died after falling into the country's most dangerous volcano.
The 75-year-old man was visiting Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park on January 2, 2022 with his family. At 12:15 a.m. local time, park security received a call from the man's family members saying that the man was "missing from within the park," per People magazine.
National Park Service rangers and Hawai'i County firefighters worked together to try to find the elderly man in the darkness. Sadly, his body was located below the crater rim of a viewing area of the Kilauea volcano that was closed to guests.
The National Park Service released a statement on the incident.
"A 75-year-old Hilo man died after falling from a closed area within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park late Sunday night," staff shared.
"Family members reported the man missing from within the park around 12:15 am on Monday. After searching for the man in the darkness, National Park Service rangers and Hawai'i County firefighters located the man's body about 100 feet below the crater rim, west of the Uēkahuna viewing area at the summit of Kīlauea volcano. Park rangers, assisted by helicopter, recovered the body around 8 am."
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Authorities have not released the man's identity. They said it would be released pending further notification of family. Investigations into exactly what happened are ongoing.
A 2018 report from the US Geological Survey labels Kilauea as the most dangerous volcano in the United States. The volcano began erupting in September, attracting visitors to the park at night to see lava flowing. As of Tuesday, however, the USGS shared that erupting had halted.
"All recent lava activity has been confined to the crater, and there are no indications of activity migrating elsewhere on Kīlauea," the USGS said, per The Independent.
In 2019, a man in his 30s climbed over a railing to get a closer look and accidentally fell from a cliff. He fell about 70 feet but was able to be rescued.
"Visitors should never cross safety barriers, especially around dangerous and destabilized cliff edges," Chief Ranger John Broward said in a news release.
"Crossing safety barriers and entering closed areas can result in serious injuries and death."
In 2017, a man died by suicide at the very same volcano. His body was found on the caldera floor about 250 feet below Crater Rim Trail.
