HONOLULU – A lava bomb hit a tour boat on Monday morning in Hawaii, injuring at least a dozen people, the Hawaii County Fire Department said.

The lava punctured the boat’s roof and it returned to Wailoa Harbor, the fire department said. Three of the injured were taken to Hilo Medical Center; two were reported in stable condition, the other in serious condition.

One of the passengers in stable condition is a woman in her 20s with a fractured femur, authorities said. The remaining nine passengers drove themselves to the hospital, and the fire department said their injuries were superficial.

The lava bomb left a large hole in the boat’s roof, the fire department said. A railing was also damaged.

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.

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.</s>LOS ANGELES: A projectile from the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii struck a boat carrying people watching lava from the two- month-old eruption, injuring 23, the fire department said.

Thirteen of them required hospitalisation and the rest were treated at a harbour when the boat engaged in a "lava tour" returned to the Big Island, also known as Hawaii.

Lava flowing into the Pacific is a spectacular sight, producing a foggy haze known in Hawaii as "laze."

One woman was in serious condition with a fractured femur.

The total number of people on the boat was not immediately known, the Hawaii County Fire Department said.

In the early morning incident, a "lava bomb" punctured the roof of the boat and damaged a railing, the department said. It gave no further details.

"It was an explosion, basically," said Janet Snyder, a spokeswoman for the county mayor, told the Tribune Herald newspaper. "It punctured a hole right through the roof of the boat."

She described the boat as "covered with lava."

The eruption has destroyed hundreds of homes since it began on May 3.

Kilauea is one of the world's most active volcanos and one of five on the island.</s>Hawaii officials: Explosion sends lava flying through roof of tour boat off Big Island, injuring at least 13 people

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii officials: Explosion sends lava flying through roof of tour boat off Big Island, injuring at least 13 people.</s>Lava from Mt Kilauea enters the sea near Kapoho, Hawaii, June 12, 2018

One person was seriously injured and 22 others hurt after a "lava bomb" hit a tour boat near the Kilauea volcano on Hawaii's Big Island, according to emergency officials.

Molten rock running into the ocean exploded and threw chunks of lava onto the Lava Ocean Tours boat, smashing a basketball-size hole through the boat's roof and raining smaller rocks onto the decking.

"Of the injured, four were taken by ambulance, one seriously injured with a fractured femur," Hawaii County officials said in a statement. "Most of the injured passengers had superficial injuries and were treated on arrival at Wailoa Harbor in Hilo."

Big Island resident Ikaika Marzo told Hawaii News Now there was a “huge explosion at the ocean entry." Hot lava can explode when it flows into the cold seawater.

"Eyewitnesses report that it ripped through the tour boat roof and landed on several people – injuring both passengers and crew members," according to Hawaii News Now reporter Mileka Lincoln.

On its website, the company said that "Lava Ocean Tours Big Island lava boat tours are an exciting way to experience the molten hot lava entering the sea. See, Hear & Feel the heat from your front row seat onboard one of our world class catamarans."

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.

More: A tiny 'island of lava' forms near Hawaii's Kilauea volcano

U.S. Geological Survey volcanologist Wendy Stovall said lava bombs occur when water interacts with lava. The water flashes to steam, which causes the lava to explode into fragments, she said.

Lava from Kilauea has been spewing for more than two months, forcing evacuations. Last month, the U.S. Geological Survey said the lava was transforming into a fast-flowing river capable of covering roughly 200 yards per hour.

In the past few days, a small "island of lava" has also popped up near Kilauea in Hawaii.</s>The Latest on lava injuring tour boat passengers off Hawaii (all times local):

The owner and captain of a boat that was hit by lava says he never saw the explosion that rained large chunks of hot rock down on top of his boat off the Big Island.

Shane Turpin said Monday that he and his tour group had spent 20 minutes about 500 yards offshore without seeing any major explosions from the site where Kilauea's lava enters the ocean.

He says he then navigated his vessel to about 250 yards from the lava.

He says the explosion came from behind as the ship was leaving the area. Officials say 23 people were injured, with one in serious condition.

Turpin says he has been observing and documenting explosions from the volcano and there were no warning signs before the blast that sent lava onto his boat.

Turpin says he has been navigating lava tour boats for years and has lived on the Big Island since 1983.

Kilauea has been erupting for decades, but new vents that opened in neighborhoods in May have destroyed more than 700 homes as the lava has flowed to the ocean.

Hawaii officials have updated the number of people injured after an explosion sent lava crashing through the roof of a tour boat off the Big Island, saying 23 were hurt.

The Hawaii County Fire Department said Monday that a woman in her 20s was in serious condition with a broken thigh bone.

Ambulances took her and three others to the hospital after the boat returned to shore. Nine people with superficial injuries drove themselves to the hospital, and an additional 10 passengers were treated at the harbor for superficial injuries.

The fire department says lava left a large hole in the roof of a tour boat that takes visitors to see molten rock flowing into the ocean.

Hawaii officials say a 20-year-old woman has major leg trauma after an explosion sent lava flying through the roof of a tour boat off the Big Island.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources said at least 13 people were injured Monday. Other than the woman, passengers suffered burns and scrapes.

They were aboard a tour boat that takes visitors to see lava plunging into the ocean.

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.

The lava is coming from the Kilauea volcano, which has been erupting from a rural residential area since early May. Until now, the only serious injury was to a man who was hit by flying lava that broke his leg.

Hawaii officials say an explosion sent lava flying through the roof of a tour boat off the Big Island, injuring at least 13 people.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources said one passenger broke a leg Monday and others have been burned. It says the full extent of injuries isn't yet known.

The people were aboard a tour boat that takes visitors to see lava plunging into the ocean. Several companies operate such tours.

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.

The lava is coming from the Kilauea volcano, which has been erupting from a rural residential area since early May.</s>Hawaii officials say an explosion sent lava flying through the roof of a tour boat off the Big Island, injuring at least 13 people.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources said one passenger broke a leg Monday and others have been burned. It says the full extent of injuries isn't yet known.

The people were aboard a tour boat that takes visitors to see lava plunging into the ocean. Several companies operate such tours.

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.

The lava is coming from the Kilauea volcano, which has been erupting from a rural residential area since early May.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>HONOLULU—An explosion caused by lava oozing into the ocean sent molten rock crashing through the roof of a sightseeing boat off Hawaii’s Big Island, injuring 23 people Monday, officials said. A woman in her 20s was in serious condition with a broken thigh bone, the Hawaii County Fire Department said. Three others were in stable condition at a hospital with unspecified injuries. The rest of the passengers suffered burns, scrapes and other superficial injuries.

They were aboard a tour boat that takes visitors to see lava plunging into the ocean from a long-erupting volcano that has been vigorously shooting lava from a new vent in the ground for the past two months. The lava punctured the boat’s roof, leaving a gaping hole, firefighters said. Shane Turpin, the owner and captain of the vessel that was hit, said he never saw the explosion that rained molten rocks down on top of his boat. He and his tour group had been in the area for about 20 minutes making passes of the ocean entry about 500 yards offshore, Turpin said. He didn’t observe “any major explosions,” so he navigated his vessel closer, to about 250 yards away from the lava.

“As we were exiting the zone, all of a sudden everything around us exploded,” he said. “It was everywhere.” Turpin said he had no idea just how big the blast was until he saw video of the event later on shore. “It was immense. I had no idea. We didn’t see it.” Turpin says he has been observing and documenting these explosions and that this type of activity is new. There were no warning signs before the blast, he added. Turpin has been navigating lava tour boats for many years and has lived on the Big Island since 1983. He said most of the injuries were minor, but that he had just visited one woman who sustained serious injuries in the hospital.

“They’re unbelievable people,” he said of the woman and her family, who are visiting the island. “Just really good people.” The others in the tour group quickly pulled together helped one another, Turpin said.

“What I saw in humanity this morning was amazing. I mean this was a group of people that never met before, and they were brought together,” he said. “In all honesty, we definitely evaded a catastrophic event today.” 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. Despite the hazards, several companies operate such tours. The Coast Guard said tour vessels have operated in the area going back at least 20 years. The U.S. 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 984 feet (300 metres) from ocean-entry points. The agency allows experienced boat operators to apply for a special licence to get up to 164 feet (50 metres) from where lava sizzles into the sea. The molten rock is coming from the Kilauea volcano, which has been erupting continuously for the past 35 years. In May, its eruption entered a new phase when it began spurting lava through newly formed fissures in a residential neighbourhood. It has destroyed more than 700 homes since then. But the only serious injury over the past two months was to a man who was hit by flying lava that broke his leg.</s>HONOLULU (Reuters) - A blob of hot volcanic lava struck an ocean tour boat just off the Big Island of Hawaii on Monday, injuring at least 22 people in the worst casualty incident to date from the ongoing eruption of the Kilauea Volcano, fire officials said.

One woman’s leg was broken when the “lava bomb,” which burst from the water near the boat as molten rock poured into the ocean, landed on the roof of the vessel and crashed into the seating area, said Hawaii County Fire Department Battalion Chief Darwin Okinaka.</s>(CNN) — A lava bomb hit a tour boat on Monday morning in Hawaii, injuring 12 people, the Hawaii County Fire Department said.

The lava punctured the boat’s roof and it returned to Wailoa Harbor, the fire department said. Three of the injured were taken to Hilo Medical Center; two were reported in stable condition, the other in serious condition.

One of the passengers in stable condition is a woman in her 20s with a fractured femur, authorities said. The remaining nine passengers drove themselves to the hospital, and the fire department said their injuries were superficial.

The lava bomb left a large hole in the boat’s roof, the fire department said. A railing was also damaged.

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.

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.</s>The Latest on lava injuring tour boat passengers off Hawaii (all times local):

Hawaii officials say a 20-year-old woman has major leg trauma after an explosion sent lava flying through the roof of a tour boat off the Big Island.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources said at least 13 people were injured Monday. Other than the woman, passengers suffered burns and scrapes.

They were aboard a tour boat that takes visitors to see lava plunging into the ocean.

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.

The lava is coming from the Kilauea volcano, which has been erupting from a rural residential area since early May. Until now, the only serious injury was to a man who was hit by flying lava that broke his leg.

Hawaii officials say an explosion sent lava flying through the roof of a tour boat off the Big Island, injuring at least 13 people.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources said one passenger broke a leg Monday and others have been burned. It says the full extent of injuries isn't yet known.

The people were aboard a tour boat that takes visitors to see lava plunging into the ocean. Several companies operate such tours.

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.

The lava is coming from the Kilauea volcano, which has been erupting from a rural residential area since early May.
23 passengers on a tour boat in Hawaii are injured after a lava bomb from the Kīlauea volcano punctures the roof of the vessel.