Kilauea volcano erupts in Hawaii

Hawaii's Kilauea volcano has roared back to life, creating a lava lake that has been growing several meters per hour, the US Geological Survey said on Monday. The eruption started after a 4.4 magnitude earthquake struck the volcano's south flank a day earlier.

The Halemaumau crater of the volcano is shooting lava, gas and ash into the air. A particularly vigorous eruption occurred within an hour when lava poured into a crater and mixed with the water accumulated inside, Tom Birchard, a senior forecaster with the National Weather Service, Hawaii, told The Associated Press.

Birchard added that a steam cloud as high as 30,000 feet (some 9,150 meters) had shot into the atmosphere. 

Scientists first confirmed water was present in the crater in 2019, with the lake continuing to fill up since then.

Eruption draws spectators

The summit crater of the Kilauea volcano is located within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. After the event started, people lined up at the park entrance to get a closer look at the eruption. Authorities, however, have urged residents to stay indoors to avoid exposure to ash.

Jessica Ferracane, spokesperson for Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, said "high amounts" of hazardous sulfur dioxide gas billowing from the crater. "Those present a danger to everyone, especially people with heart or respiratory problems, infants, young children and pregnant women," she told AP.

This is the second eruption at the Kilauea volcano since 2018. At the time, the eruption lasted several months, forcing evacuations and triggering destruction for weeks.

am/dj (AP, Reuters)