One Cameraman Crawls to Safety as 2nd Is Still Trapped in Kilauea

One of two movie cameramen trapped inside a crater on the flank of Kilauea Volcano crawled to safety Sunday as bad weather hampered rescue efforts.

A team of rescuers on the crumbling rim of 600-foot-high Pu’u O’o crater had kept in voice contact with the men overnight after their helicopter crashed. The crew was filming for Paramount Studios in Los Angeles.

The unidentified 31-year-old man who got out was hospitalized for observation after a night of breathing volcanic smoke and fumes, a hospital spokesman said. The other man was not seen but was believed to be about 60 feet below the rim. There is no active lava flow in the 500-foot-wide crater.

The pilot was rescued from the crater floor about 150 feet below the rim after Saturday’s crash and was treated for cuts and eye irritation caused by volcanic fumes. The crater contains noxious gases, including hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide.

Both cameramen had tried to climb out of the crater earlier but had been stranded. Heavy smoke and fumes in the crater, along with rain, prevented their rescue, officials said.