2 Paramount Cameramen Remain Trapped in Kilauea as Rescue Fails

Poor weather hampered rescue efforts Sunday for two movie cameramen trapped after their helicopter crashed inside a fuming, fog-shrouded crater on the flank of Kilauea Volcano, on the island of Hawaii.

A team of rescuers on the crumbling rim of 600-foot-high Pu’u O’o crater kept in voice contact with the men overnight.

One man was spotted briefly Sunday on a ledge about 30 feet below the rim, said Mardie Lane, a Hawaii Volcanoes National Park spokeswoman. The other man wasn’t seen but was thought to be about 60 feet below the rim. Both said they were OK, she said.

There is no active lava flow in the crater.

The pilot was rescued about 150 feet below the rim after Saturday’s crash and was treated for cuts and eye irritation. The crew was filming for Paramount Studios in Los Angeles.

Heavy smoke and fumes in the crater, along with rain, have hampered rescue efforts, officials said. The crater contains noxious gases, including hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide, Lane said. “They are in a very serious situation because a shift in the fuming could make it very difficult for them to breathe,” said park ranger Bruce Malloy.