NPS - National Park Service
03/03/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/03/2026 14:00
Incident in closed area of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park results in fatality
Date:
March 3, 2026
Contact: HAVO Public Affairs
March 3, 2026
Contact: HAVO Public Affairs
HAWAII NATIONAL PARK, Hawaiʻi - National Park Service personnel responded to an incident on Feb. 26 in a closed area on the east side of Kīlauea caldera within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. The volcano was not erupting at the time of the incident.
Search and rescue personnel conducted operations overnight in steep and hazardous terrain. On Feb. 27, responders located the individual and airlifted him from the area. He was transported to Hilo Benioff Medical Center where he was pronounced deceased.
The individual was a 33-year-old Hawaiʻi resident. The park has notified the family and is withholding the name pending privacy considerations.
The incident remains under investigation.
Kīlauea caldera contains hazardous terrain, including unstable cliff edges and volcanic features. Visitors are reminded to remain in designated open areas and comply with all closures.
More information is available at www.nps.gov/havo.
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NPS - National Park Service published this content on March 03, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on March 03, 2026 at 20:00 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]