A 75-year-old Hilo man fell to his death in Kilauea crater Sunday night in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
According to a news release from the national park, the man — whose identity has not been disclosed pending notification of his family — was reported missing in the park at about 12:15 a.m. Monday. After a nighttime search, National Park Service rangers and Hawaii County firefighters found the man’s body about 100 feet below the rim of Kilauea crater.
Park spokeswoman Jessica Ferracane said the site where the man was found, west of the Uekahuna viewing area at the volcano’s summit, is closed to the public, with multiple barriers and signs warning people not to enter.
The specific place where he appeared to have fallen is about 200 feet beyond those warning signs, she said.
“He knew he was in a closed area,” Ferracane said.
Rangers recovered the body by helicopter around 8 a.m. Monday.
The investigation into the man’s death is ongoing.