SALT LAKE CITY — A man has been rescued after he "had fallen into" the caldera of Hawaii’s Kilauea earlier this week, according to the National Park Service.
On Wednesday, a visitor climbed over a metal railing around the hotel, fell over, lost his footing and dropped down the 300-foot cliff. Apparently, the man wanted to get closer to the Steaming Bluff overlook’s edge, USA Today reports.
Another visitor on the scene called emergency officials. A search and rescue team arrived to help the man. The team found him about two and a half hours later.
The man was reportedly found "alive but seriously injured on a narrow ledge about 70 feet down from the cliff edge," the park service said in a statement.
The rescue team airlifted the man to a nearby hospital.
Park officials warned against crossing over the railings so close to cliffs, according to USA Today.
"Visitors should never cross safety barriers, especially around dangerous and destabilized cliff edges," Chief Ranger John Broward said in a statement, according to USA Today. "Crossing safety barriers and entering closed areas can result in serious injuries and death."
According to Hawaii News Now, the man is a soldier for Schofield Barracks on Oahu. He has reportedly spent time on Big Island for training.
“He obviously is doing remarkably well for his fall," Matthias Kusch, Hawaii County Fire Department battalion chief, told Hawaii News Now. "Only time will tell what injuries he has."
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, Kilauea is not currently erupting. However, the volcano destroyed more than 700 homes on Big Island in 2018, according to NBC News.
“While Volcanoes National Park hasn’t seen a death since 2017, it did close for more than four months last year after volcanic activity caused explosive eruptions, earthquakes and the collapse of the famed Halemaumau crater,” NBC News reports.