The child had strayed from the family "in the blink of an eye" when they stood at the top of a cliff over 120 meters high and looked out over the lava, says a park ranger. The boy ran towards the cliff edge and had the mother not discovered him, it would have been a fatal fall.
Visitors are now warned to be vigilant about, among other things, unstable ground and sharp volcanic rocks. The national park also has several safety measures in place, but they also rely on visitors taking their own responsibility, says park superintendent Rhonda Loh in a statement.
"National parks show the power of nature, but they are not playgrounds", she says.
Kilauea on the island group is one of the world's most active volcanic groups and had a new eruption on December 23. The volcano, which has had its fifth eruption since 2020, has spouted nearly 80-meter-high fountains of lava.
