STRUCK BY FLYING LAVA
Hawaii volcano – man left with horrific injuries after being hit by lava spatter as he relaxed on his balcony
A MAN has been left with horrific injuries after being hit by flying lava as he sat on his balcony in Hawaii.
Mount Kilauea erupted earlier this week but is continuing to produce lava flows and clouds of volcanic ash.
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And it has now claimed its first casualty after a man was hit by rock spewed from the mountain.
Janet Snyder, a spokesperson for the mayor’s office, said: “A homeowner on Noni Farms Road who was sitting on a third-floor balcony got hit with lava spatter.
“It hit him on the shin and shattered everything there down on his leg.”
She added that lava spatters "can weigh as much as a refrigerator and even small pieces of spatter can kill".
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Aerial footage of Hawaii's Kilauea volcano lava flow carving a path of ash across the island
Fountains of bright orange lava were seen spouting at least 20ft high, and spewing rivers of molten rock on Saturday.
The news came amid fears lava could cut a key highway that serves as an escape route for coastal residents.
Molten rock from two huge cracks merged into a single stream, threatening to block their getaway.
It was expected to hit Highway 137 overnight if it kept up its rate and direction of flow, the County of Hawaii's Civil Defence Agency said.
Explosive video of Kilauea Volcano eruptions lighting up the night sky in Hawaii
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Authorities are trying to open up a road that was blocked by lava in 2014 to serve as an alternative escape route as a backup plan, Jessica Ferracane of the National Park Service told reporters.
The park service is working to bulldoze almost a mile of hardened lava out of the way on nearby Highway 11, which has been impassable, she added.
The Hawaii National Guard has warned of mandatory evacuations if more roads become blocked.
An OAP yesterday told how she was forced to flee her home after powerful aftershocks shattered her windows.
Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupts from summit, shooting plume of ash up to two miles into the atmosphere
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Dona Mueller, 75, from Puna, Hawaii, spotted the red lava spilling out of the volcano in front of her home.
She said: "These violent eruptions are happening more frequently in our area.
";My daughter was due to come and live in Hawaii two years ago but if my home is ruined by lava I will perhaps move to Los Angeles.”
Video showing molten lava from Kilauea volcano in Hawaii engulfing a car
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