A towering lava fountain from Kilauea shot about 400 metres into the air late on Tuesday (11 March) on Hawaii Island, prompting temporary closures at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and part of a key highway as volcanic ash and debris fell over nearby areas.
The latest fountaining episode began on Tuesday morning and marked the 43rd eruption phase since activity resumed at the volcano in December 2024.
Footage from the area showed two bright red fountains of molten lava and smoke rising from the summit crater. It remains unclear how long the current episode will last. Previous bursts of activity have ranged from a few hours to several days.
Officials said the molten rock remains confined within the summit crater of Kilauea inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and does not threaten homes or buildings.
Volcanic fragments and ash (known as tephra) have been falling on surrounding communities and nearby roads, prompting the National Weather Service to issue an ashfall warning for the area. Authorities temporarily closed areas around the park’s summit and partially shut Hawaii Route 11, an important road that circles much of the island.
Officials in Hawaii County also opened a shelter at a district gymnasium for residents and tourists affected by the road closure or ashfall. County spokesperson Tom Callis said no one had used the shelter shortly after it opened.
Local authorities warned that volcanic tephra can irritate the eyes, skin and respiratory system. The material can also clog water catchment systems commonly used by residents on the island.
During a previous episode, ashfall was heavy enough that civil defence crews had to help communities clear deposits covering homes, Callis said.
Kilauea is among the world’s most active volcanoes and has been producing intermittent lava fountains for more than a year during its ongoing eruption.
German voters cast ballots on Sunday in two state elections that could add to the political pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as his governmen...
Iraq has returned restricted airspace across the western part of the country to civilian authorities, ending limits imposed for military operations...
Denmark and Greenland have moved to reassure the public that their sovereignty will remain intact under a new security agreement with the United St...
Saudi civil defence sent an all-clear on Saturday after issuing alerts for a second time for potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, amid an uptick in attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on the Gulf country.
Houthi attacks target Riyadh amid concerns over Saudi oil supplies, as Iran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are met and U.S. commitments are implemented, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday.
The U.S. State Department approved a $2.7 billion military sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgrades, along with related equipment and services, the department said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported at least 10 people had died in Russian attacks over the last 24 hours.
The death toll from an overnight Russian attack on the Kyiv region rose to four, including three children, Kyiv regional authorities said on Sunday. A mother and her two 3-year-old children were killed when a Russian drone strike hit a private home, the emergency service said.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that additional news organisations could be barred from the White House, hours after announcing bans on CNN, MS NOW and Politico over coverage he described as “fake news”.
Saudi Arabia is opening up to more international travellers as tourism expands beyond religious travel. In Riyadh, historic landmarks stand alongside new developments and a rapidly changing skyline, while AlUla and Diriyah offer a glimpse into the kingdom’s heritage.
Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are considering restoring passenger ferry services across the Caspian Sea, six years after the route was suspended.
Flights across some of Britain's busiest airports were thrown into chaos on Tuesday after a technical failure at air traffic control provider NATS disrupted the system used to process flight data.
Investigators said they have recovered the flight data and cockpit voice recorders from an Amazon Prime Air cargo plane that overran the runway and crashed while landing at Miami International Airport on Sunday (6 September), killing five people on the ground.
An eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Anak Krakatau has disrupted air travel, school activities and fishing operations, with hundreds of passengers stranded at Jakarta’s main airport on Sunday.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment