Hawaii helicopter evacuation readied as new lava stream hits ocean | ABS-CBN

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Hawaii helicopter evacuation readied as new lava stream hits ocean

Hawaii helicopter evacuation readied as new lava stream hits ocean

Marco Garcia,

Reuters

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Updated May 25, 2018 10:50 AM PHT

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Sarah Conway, left, Matt Patrick, both from USGS Hawaiian Volcanos, observe lava erupting from a fissure in the Leilani Estates near Pahoa, Hawaii, US, May 24, 2018. Marco Garcia, Reuters

PAHALA, Hawaii - A third lava flow from Hawaii's erupting Kilauea volcano streamed into the ocean on Thursday as US Marines Corps helicopters stood by to evacuate a Big Island community should molten rock or huge cracks block its final escape route.

Six huge fissures sent rivers of molten rock through a blackened, volcanic wilderness that was once jungle, farmland and rural homes.

Kilauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, entered the fourth week of what may be an unprecedented, simultaneous eruption at its summit crater and along a 6-mile (9.7-km) string of fissures 25 miles (40 km) down its east flank.

At least 50 rural homes and other structures have been destroyed by lava from the fissures. Some 2,000 people have faced mandatory evacuations and another 2,000 in coastal communities may be forced to leave their homes if State Highway 130, their last exit, becomes blocked.

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The US Marine Corps deployed 2 CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters to Hilo, about 24 miles north (39 miles), in support of a task force standing by in case an air evacuation is needed. Each helicopter can carry up to 50 people at a time.

"We now have the capacity to evacuate all of the estimated population of lower Puna south of the lava flow within a few hours," Brigadier General Kenneth Hara of the Hawaii National Guard said in a statement.

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