Man survives after falling 300-foot into raging volcano

A tourist survived after falling off a 300-foot cliff into the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii.

The man landed on a narrow ledge about 70 feet below in the incident that happened on Wednesday, Yahoo News has reported, quoting the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

The unnamed man allegedly climbed past a metal railing at the Steaming Bluff overlook and got extremely close to the edge before losing his footing and tumbling into the volcano’s caldera, according to a statement from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

Even though he didn’t die in the horrific accident, the man was severely injured and was saved when the rescue crews found him around 9 p.m.

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The rescue team airlifted him out of the caldera, using ropes; while a Department of Defense helicopter rushed him to Hilo Medical Centre for urgent treatment, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports.

Following the incident, Chief Ranger, John Broward, released a statement warning tourists that ignoring important barriers can have fatal consequences.

“Visitors should never cross safety barriers, especially around dangerous and destabilised cliff edges,” Broward said. “Crossing safety barriers and entering closed areas can result in serious injuries and death.”