Volcanic lava 'bomb' injures 22 people on tour boat in Hawaii

HONOLULU (Reuters) - A blob of hot volcanic lava struck an ocean tour boat just off the Big Island of Hawaii on Monday, injuring at least 22 people in the worst casualty incident to date from the ongoing eruption of the Kilauea Volcano, fire officials said.

A hole, punched through the roof of a tourist boat, is seen, after lava from the Mount Kilauea volcano exploded in the sea off Kapoho, Hawaii, U.S. July 16, 2018. Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources/Handout via REUTERS

One woman’s leg was broken when the “lava bomb,” which burst from the water near the boat as molten rock poured into the ocean, landed on the roof of the vessel and crashed into the seating area, said Hawaii County Fire Department Battalion Chief Darwin Okinaka.

Reporting by Jolyn Rosa in Honolulu; Additional reporting and writing by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Sandra Maler

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