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A 30-year-old tourist from Boston had a harrowing experience while visiting a popular Hawaiian hot spot last week as he tumbled nearly 30 feet off a cliff towards an erupting volcano.
Seeking a better view of the Kīlauea volcanic eruption, the man strayed from the park’s Byron Ledge Trail, venturing too close to the edge of a sheer cliff, resulting in the alarming incident on Wednesday, as reported by Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
Luckily, the man’s fall was cushioned by a tree, preventing a further descent of “another hundred feet or so to the caldera floor, which could have resulted in his death.”
People watch as Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano erupts for the 21st time on May 11, 2025, in Kailua Kona, Hawaii. (Gary Miller/Getty Images)
“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.
Aerial of Waipio Bay and Valley in Big Island Hawaii. (iStock)
“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.
