Hawaii volcano eruption: Shock footage of moment LAVA suddenly BURSTS through busy road
THIS is the moment a build-up of magma cracked a fissure in a road near the erupting Kilauea volcano, and unleashed a deadly burst of red, burning magma onto the road.
By OLI SMITH
Express.co.uk
Sat, May 5, 2018
Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano has continued to unleash deadly-hot molten lava onto busy streets, amid fears amongst experts that the volcanic explosions could escalate.
The entire Big Island remains on high alert today, including the Leilani Estates, where some 1,700 residents were forced to evacuate.
The widespread devastation following the eruptions, which started on Thursday, has caused a number of fissures in the nearby streets.
Shock footage recorded the moment a massive crack split open a busy road, spewing at first weak fumes, before turning into large, loud bubbling lava.
The video, recorded by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), catches the crack on Kaupili Street yesterday morning.
According to USGS officials, the “weak fuming increased as did rumbling sounds”.
They added: “Eventually splatter was ejected from the crack and accumulated around the fissure. Large, loud bubble bursts were common at this fissure.”
In the past 24 hours, a huge 6.9 tremor shook buildings on the island’s southeast corner, amid fears that more devastation is to come.
Tina Neal, a scientist in charge at the USGS Hawaii Volcano Observator, said: “Until we see earthquake activity dying down and the ground stops moving, it’s likely that this activity is going to continue.”
Kilauea is one of the world’s most active volcanoes and officials had been warning residents all week they should be prepared to evacuate as an eruption would give little warning.
The USGS described the threat potential as “very high” – and the volcano has been erupting since 1983.
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