A 33-year-old Hawai‘i man died last week following an "incident" at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.
National Park Service personnel responded to an"incident" in a closed area on the east side of Kīlauea caldera on Feb. 26, the NPS said in an announcement Tuesday.
"Search and rescue personnel conducted operations overnight in steep and hazardous terrain," the announcement noted. Responders located the individual the next day.
According to the NPS, the man was airlifted from the area and transported to Hilo Benioff Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
The park has notified the family and is withholding the name of the individual "pending privacy considerations," the announcement noted.
More information was not immediately available and the type of "incident" that occurred was not disclosed. An HVNP spokesperson told Aloha State Daily that no additional details are available at this time.
NPS, however, noted in the news release that Kīlauea volcano — which has been erupting intermittently since Dec. 23, 2024, largely from two vents in Halema‘uma‘u crater within the summit caldera — was not erupting at the time of the "incident."
The 42nd episode of the ongoing eruption — which saw lava fountain heights reaching around 1,300 feet — ended on Feb. 15. Visitation to the park "skyrockets" during eruptions, the park has previously said.
"Kīlauea caldera contains hazardous terrain, including unstable cliff edges and volcanic features," NPS said in Tuesday's announcement. "Visitors are reminded to remain in designated open areas and comply with all closures."
Last June, a 30-year-old Boston man trying to get a closer glimpse of the eruption was rescued by first responders after falling 30 feet from a steep cliff within the park. At that time, the park said that a tree broke the man's fall and kept him from plummeting another 100 feet or so to the caldera floor.
Last week's incident remains under investigation.
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Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
