American tourist falls 30 feet off cliffside trail in vacation hot spot
A tourist is lucky to be alive after plunging nearly 30 feet off a cliff and toward an erupting volcano while visiting a popular Hawaiian hot spot last week.
In an attempt to get a better view of the Kīlauea volcanic eruption, the 30-year-old man from Boston wandered from the park's Byron Ledge Trail, but "got too close to the sheer cliff edge" on Wednesday, according to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
Luckily, a tree broke the man's fall, saving him from plunging "another hundred feet or so to the caldera floor, which could have resulted in his death."
Search and rescue teams that were already in the area to manage traffic began searching for the man at approximately 9 p.m., after receiving reports that an individual had plunged 30 feet below the cliff.
The man – who was not carrying a flashlight or headlamp – was pulled to safety in a high-angle rescue by officials rappelling down the cliff and only suffered minor facial injuries, according to the park.
The volcano is considered one of the world's most active and on the day of the accident, was erupting with lava fountains of more than 1,000 feet, according to the National Park Service.
Kīlauea began its latest activity in December 2024, "with eruptions separated by pauses lasting several days or more," Hawaii's National Park Service said.
The incident comes after the park previously warned visitors to remain vigilant after a small child nearly plummeted into the active volcano just days after it began erupting.
"A toddler wandered off from his family and in a split second, ran straight toward the 400-foot cliff edge," the park said in a press release. "His mother, screaming, managed to grab him in the nick of time just a foot or so away from a fatal fall. Disaster was averted, and the shaken family departed."
In addition to spewing hot lava, the volcano can also emit toxic gasses and "glassy volcanic particulates," called tephra, making close encounters with the natural phenomenon highly dangerous.
"The hazards that coincide with an eruption are dangerous, and we have safety measures in place including closed areas, barriers, closure signs, and traffic management," Park Superintendent Rhonda Loh previously said in a statement. "Your safety is our utmost concern, but we rely on everyone to recreate responsibility. National parks showcase nature's splendor but they are not playgrounds."
The National Park Service did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
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