Crews rescue visitor who fell about 70 feet from Kilauea’s summit

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park rangers and Hawaii island fire crews rescued a man Wednesday night after he fell about 60 to 70 feet from Kilauea volcano’s Halemaumau crater.

Hawaii County Fire Department officials said the man, in his 30s, was transported in critical condition by a military helicopter to Hilo Medical Center

According to park officials, at about 6:30 pm, a visitor reported that a man accidentally fell from a 300-foot cliff at the Kilauea caldera.

Park officials said the man had climbed over a metal railing at the Steaming Bluff overlook to get closer to the cliff edge before losing his footing and falling.

A rescue effort ensued and at about 9 p.m,, the man was found seriously injured on a narrow ledge about 70 feet from the cliff edge.

Park rangers and Hawaii County Fire Department personnel “successfully completed a high-angle extrication using ropes and stokes litter and, with support from a Department of Defense helicopter, the man was airlifted to Hilo Medical Center for urgent care,” according to a news release from the national park.

“Visitors should never cross safety barriers, especially around dangerous and destabilized cliff edges,” Chief Ranger John Broward said in the news release. “Crossing safety barriers and entering closed areas can result in serious injuries and death.”