Helicopter carrying 6 crashes in Hawaii lava field

Cyrus Johnasen, a public information officer for Hawaii County, said it was a tour helicopter with a pilot and five passengers. The initial report came in about 5 pm and said the aircraft had crashed near the southernmost tip of the Big Island, Johnasen said. The site was inaccessible by vehicle so the Hawaii Fire Department sent two helicopters to take victims to ambulances waiting on nearby roads.

A helicopter carrying six people crashed Wednesday in a lava field in Hawaii. Cyrus Johnasen, a public information officer for Hawaii County, said it was a tour helicopter with a pilot and five passengers.

The initial report came in about 5 pm and said the aircraft had crashed near the southernmost tip of the Big Island, Johnasen said. The site was inaccessible by vehicle so the Hawaii Fire Department sent two helicopters to take victims to ambulances waiting at nearby roads. "It's a fluid situation," said Mayor Mitch Roth.

Johnasen said the pilot, a man in his 50s, had been trapped but was later extracted and was in serious but stable condition. An 18-year-old woman was reported in serious and worsening condition. Four people were reported as ambulatory. All have been safely evacuated from the site. Johnasen said it was unclear if they'd yet been transported to hospitals or if emergency responders were continuing treatment in the ambulances themselves.