Hawaii volcano: mass evacuations as Kilauea erupts

Lava spotted as 1,700 residents flee cloud of sulphuric ash

Kilauea volcano Hawaii eruption
Ash cloud rises above Kilauea volcano
(Image credit: Twitter)

At least 1,700 people have been evacuated from the area surrounding Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano after it erupted last night, amid fears of lava spewing into residential districts.

Officials have detected extremely high levels of dangerous sulfur in the air, and lava was seen “spurting from a crack in a road in Leilani Estates, located near the town of Pahoa”, USA Today reports. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory confirmed the lava sighting.

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