Mario Tama / Getty Images / AFP | People ride a tour boat to view Kilauea volcano lava entering the Pacific Ocean on May 22, 2018 near Pahoa, Hawaii. A blob of hot volcanic lava struck an ocean tour boat just off the Big Island of Hawaii on Monday, injuring nearly two dozen people in the worst casualty incident to date from the ongoing eruption of the Kilauea Volcano. Advertising Read more A huge steam-driven explosion, caused by molten rock mixing with seawater as it poured from the shoreline, sent a "lava bomb" crashing through the roof of the boat and into the vessel's seating area, authorities said. The boat returned to port in Hilo on its own power less than an hour later, and three of the injured, including a woman in her 20s whose leg was broken, were taken to a local hospital by ambulance, Hawaii County Fire Department Battalion chief Darwin Okinaka said. Nine or 10 others with less severe injuries were driven to the hospital by private vehicle, and 10 more people were treated by paramedics at the port, he told Reuters by telephone. A civil defense spokeswoman, Kelly Wooten, put the total number of injuries at 23. The Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) said the boat was operated by Lava Ocean Tours, one of at least three companies offering daily excursions to passengers who pay around $220 per person to watch from a vessel lava flowing into the sea. The stricken 49-passenger-seat vessel, dubbed Hot Spot, was later videotaped maneuvering to its dock after passengers were unloaded. A still photograph furnished by DLNR showed a gaping hole in its canopy. Explosion at sea The boat was also showered with smaller bits of volcanic debris and cinder from the explosion. Eyewitness video footage from a nearby vessel showed a towering cloud of steam and ash billowing into the sky, punctuated by the glow of red-hot embers and flashes of lightning. Officials for the company were not immediately available for comment. State and local police and the DLNR were investigating the incident, which occurred shortly after dawn near the eastern-most edge of the Big Island, where lava from the 10-week-old Kilauea eruption has been flowing into the Pacific since early June. The boat's distance from shore and from the site of the lava explosion was not immediately known, authorities said. Vessels are generally barred from venturing any closer than 300 meters (yards) to lava ocean entries under U.S. Coast Guard safety rules, though experienced boat operators had received special permission to get as close as 50 meters (yards), according to agency spokeswoman Amanda Levasseur. Lava Ocean Tours, whose website promised excursions allowing passengers to "see, hear and feel the heat" from lava flows entering the ocean, is the oldest of several tour boat companies operating in the region. Levasseur said that after Monday's incident, the Coast Guard would strictly enforce its 300-meter buffer zone exclusively. The reaction of molten lava and cold seawater, especially at shallow depths, is always a volatile combination capable of producing large steam-driven explosions that can launch chunks of volcanic fragments hundreds of feet (meters) in the air, U.S. Geological Survey geologist Janet Babb told reporters on a conference call. Boaters and seaside residents also have been warned to avoid noxious clouds of laze -- a term derived from the words "lava" and "haze" -- formed when lava reacts with saltwater to form a mix of acid fumes and steam laced with tiny glass-like particles. Two entire housing developments consisting of hundreds of dwellings were destroyed several weeks ago as lava spewing from a fissure on the slope of the volcano inundated the seaside Kapoho area in the vicinity of Monday's boat accident. Hundreds more homes have been swallowed closer to the eruption site. The property losses marked the most destructive eruption of Kilauea in modern times, but no fatalities have been reported. The most serious previous injury was of a man whose leg was shattered in May when he was hit by molten lava ejected by a volcanic fissure while he was standing on the third-floor balcony of his home about 200 yards (meters) from a flow in the Pahoa area. (REUTERS) Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning Subscribe<doc-sep>Hawaii's continuously erupting Kīlauea has been pretty busy this week, creating short-lived islands and hurling lava bombs at unsuspecting tourists over the last few days. On Monday morning, a lava bomb (a flying chunk of molten rock) hit a tour boat, injuring 23 people, and damaging the boat roof and railing. According to officials, 13 passengers are being treated at the hospital, and 10 passengers with more minor injuries were treated on arrival in Wailoa Harbor. "Of the injured, four were taken by ambulance, one seriously injured with a fractured femur," Hawaii County officials said in a statement. This is the photo of the lava tour boat that was hit from a littoral explosion near the ocean entry this morning. Photo and statement from Hawaii DLnR #HInews #KilaueaVolcano #KilaueaEruption #Hawaii pic.twitter.com/5sxgbWJeRm — Anthony Quintano (@AnthonyQuintano) July 16, 2018 If tourists keep getting too close, this may not be a one-off event. There are a number of areas where volcanic material is entering the ocean, and when this happens, the cold water can cause an explosion, fragmenting the lava. But these lava bombs aren't the only thing Kīlauea has been creating on Hawaii's Big Island. On Friday morning, a Hawaiian Volcano Observatory crew noticed that a tiny little island had formed just a few metres off the coast. Better late than never! Here are photos from today's activity in #Kilauea's Lower East Rift Zone. Of special note is the new lava 'island' formed just offshore of the northern end of the ocean entry, which was mentioned in today's #HVO Status Update.#LERZ https://t.co/oIEvfvO0AE pic.twitter.com/l9IbOChjbq — USGS Volcanoes? (@USGSVolcanoes) July 14, 2018 It was still very fresh, approximately 20-30 feet (6-9 metres) in diameter, and was oozing lava and steam. Although you might not think that a tiny lava pile so close to the mainland would count as an island, the definition used is a piece of land surrounded by water, and so this little guy fits the bill. That was until a few days later when the island joined up with the Big Island, making it an isthmus. But it was fun while it lasted, and Kīlauea is not looking like it's going to be stopping any time soon. We'd just recommend staying away from the water and any potential lava bombs.<doc-sep>Los Angeles (AFP) - 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 hospitalization and the rest were treated at a harbor 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. One of the most active fissures, number 8, continues to erupt and its lava has formed a small "island" a few meters from the coast, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). It is very likely that it is part of the flow of fissure 8 that is entering the ocean, the USGS says. Lava has engulfed an area of about eight square miles (20 square kilometers) since the volcano began erupting. Scientists believe that volcanic activity can be a precursor to a major eruption, similar to a Kilauea eruption in the mid-1920s.<doc-sep>Kilauea volcano: 'Lava bomb' injures several on boat tour top stories direct to your inbox SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Hawaii volcano Kilauea continues to spew relentless lava and tourists have been witnessing the magnificent force or nature from tour boats around Big Island. But on Monday, one of the boats was hit by a lava bomb which plunged into the ocean from the Kilauea volcano. Hawaii officials say the explosion was caused by lava oozing into the ocean, which sent molten rock crashing through the roof of a tour boat just off Big Island. Hawaii tour boat operators plan to keep taking visitors to see lava spewing from the volcano. Hawaii volcano eruption: Tourists watching lava spewing from Kilauea from a tour boat However, they will follow the Coast Guard’s revised policy and stay further away from now on. The Coast Guard stops vessels from getting close than 984 feet (300 metres) from where the volcano’s lava seeps into the sea. The agency had been allowing certain boat operators to apply for a special licence to get close up to 164 feet (50 metres). But it stopped allowing those exceptions on Monday morning. The explosion caused the molten rock to shoot through the roof of the vessel. Kilauea: Hawaiian volcano continues to SLUMP A woman in her 20s was taken to Honolulu with a broken thigh bone. The other 22 injured people were treated for minor burns and scrapes, including the 12 who were treated at a hospital in Hilo. When the magma meets the cooling ocean, explosive reactions can occur making the surrounding area highly dangerous. A lava bomb occurs when a reaction causes lava to be catapulted into the air. Hawaii volcano eruption: 100 striking pictures show horror of Kilauea's eruption Thu, June 28, 2018 Staggering images show the sheer scale of the Hawaiian Kilauea volcano as lava and hazardous fumes continue to spew Play slideshow AFP/Getty Images 1 of 100 Lava entering the sea and releasing multiple laze plumes at Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii<doc-sep>
Kilauea volcano: 'Lava bomb' injures several on boat tour Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano is still erupting, more than two months after it started, as eruptions and thousands of earthquakes continue to hit the Big Island. A lava bomb struck a tour boat in Hawaii on Monday, injuring 23 people when it was hurtled through the air and through the roof of a tourist vessel. The lava bomb smashed on the deck below with a shower of volcanic ash and debris. Four people had to be taken to hospital, one passenger with a broken leg and the others suffered burns. A huge stream-driven explosion, caused by molten rock mixing with seawater as it poured from the shoreline, sent a “lava bomb” crashing through the roof of the boat and into the vessel’s seating area, authorities said. A civil defence spokeswoman, Kelly Wooten, put the total number of injuries at 23. The Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) said the boat was operated by Lava Ocean Tours, one of at least three companies offering daily excursions to passengers who pay around $220 per person to watch from a vessel lava flowing into the sea. The strike 49-passenger seat vessel, dubbed Hot Spot, was later videotaped manoeuvring to its dock after passengers were unloaded. Hawaii volcano update: Kilauea has been erupting since early May The eruption of Kilauea continues in much the same way as it has sine lava flows from fissure 8 reached the ocean at Kapoho at the start of June. The Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency said: “Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reports that Fissure 8 continues to erupt lava into the channel heading northeast toward Kapoho into the ocean near Ahalanui.” The agency said explosions were reported from the ocean entry on Monday, July 16 morning. The USGS estimated the rate at which lava effuses from fissure 8 is approximately 100 cubic metres per second. Hawaii volcano update: A lava bomb destroyed a tourist boat on Hawaii's Big Island The ongoing eruption of Kilauea, which is one of the world’s most active volcanoes, has destroyed 706 buildings and forced thousands to evacuate. USGS scientists have said the flow of lava had created a new small island. The agency believes underwater pressure pushed the lava flow to the surface. The volcano has caused two dozen fissures to crack the Earth’s surface open, leading to lava oozing from the cracks. Hawaii volcano update: The damaged roof of a tourist boat which was carrying tourists Hawaii volcano eruption: Epic aerial pictures show Kilauea destruction Tue, July 17, 2018 A 'lava bomb' shot fired from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano has hit a tour boat, injuring at least 23 Play slideshow AFP/Getty Images 1 of 10 A luminous yellow streak is visible in the darkness of dawn