Tour helicopter crashes into Hawaii lava bed and injures 6, officials say

Six people were injured after a tourist helicopter crashed into a lava field in Hawaii, officials said.

There were five passengers and one pilot on a Paradise Helicopters tour over Kau, according to a statement from K&S Helicopters. The helicopter crashed at about 5:29 p.m. June 8.

“It’s a fluid situation,” Mayor Mitch Roth told the Associated Press.

All six on board were safely evacuated, but two are in serious condition, the AP reported.

As the Hawaii Fire Department was unable to get to the crash site, helicopters were used to extract the passengers, FOX8 reported.

K&S Helicopters initiated an emergency response plan, the company’s release said.

“The care of our passengers, crew members, and their families is our highest priority,” Calvin Dorn of K&S Helicopters said in a statement.

This story was originally published June 9, 2022 at 4:16 PM with the headline "Tour helicopter crashes into Hawaii lava bed and injures 6, officials say."

Daniella Segura

McClatchy DC

Daniella Segura is a national real-time reporter with McClatchy. Previously, she’s worked as a multimedia journalist for weekly and daily newspapers in the Los Angeles area. Her work has been recognized by the California News Publishers Association. She is also an alumnus of the University of Southern California and UC Berkeley.