In the aftermath of the Coast Guard and the Maui Fire Department suspending rescue efforts, family and friends are continuing to search for three young people who were in a small plane that disappeared from radar Friday night, apparently descending into waters northwest of Molokai.

The incident serves as a heartbreaking reminder that aircraft pilots and boat captains should carry an Emergency Positioning Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB), which transmits on distress frequency. The hand-held device serves as an optional backup to required emergency locator transmitting gear. In March, for example, a Navy helicopter rescued three fishermen who had abandoned ship some 160 miles southwest of Kona after they bailed into a lifeboat with an EPIRB.

A close call at volcano should be a warning

The problem with places endowed with wild, natural beauty is that nature is wild — and not always in a safe, predictable way. This is an issue with pounding surf and volcanic eruptions, in which very real hazards threatens lives. Such was the case for visitors recently who ventured into a closed-off area of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and narrowly escaped. The former viewing area had been determined as near collapse on Saturday — and collapsing is exactly what it ultimately did, 15 minutes after the tourists had been swept back behind the line. Future hikers should be scared straight — for a while, anyway.