River of lava engulfs entire Hawaii neighbourhood and adds almost a mile of new land to shoreline
An entire neighbourhood has disappeared in Hawaii after being covered by a river of lava.
The Vacationland neighbourhood has been wiped off the island as Kilauea continues to spew lava, destroying homes and altering the landscape on Hawaii's Big Island.
Homes have been seen bursting into flames as the lava hits them, before being destroyed completely by the unstoppable flow. Officials say only a few homes remain intact in the nearby Kapoho area.
Geological Survey geologist Wendy Stovall said: "The bay is completely filled in and the shoreline is at least 0.8 miles out from its original location.
"Vacationland is gone, there is no evidence of any properties there at all. On the northern end of that, there are just a few homes in the (Kapoho) beach lots area."
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck the summit of Hawaii's Kilauea volcano on Wednesday, sending a plume of ash and rock about 10,000ft into the sky.
Scientists are still measuring volcanic activity, with cracks continuing to spew the destructive molten rock. Ms Stovall said it is "really impossible to tell" when the volcanic activity will end.
More than 400 homes have been destroyed since the lava started surfacing around a month ago. While no deaths have been reported, the disaster is thought to be the most costly and destructive volcano incident in US history.
Mark Johnson's home lies on his citrus farm near near the base of Kapoho crater. The lava has missed his home so far, however it has cut off access to his farmland, and Mr Johnson has accepted that it might eventually take his house.
"I'm kind of at peace, actually. I feel that I've had a really great experience," he said.
The volcano started offering a new danger last week, in the form of volcanic fog, or "vog" – air pollution which is created by vapour, carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide gas released from Kilauea.
Vog causes burning eyes, headaches and sore throats and can potentially hospitalise people suffering with asthma or other respiratory problems. It is particularly dangerous in a disaster area as it can be carried for miles by the wind, affecting people previously considered safe.
Hawaii isn't the only region of the world to be devastated by a volcano recently.
Over the weekend a massive eruption of Guatemala's Volcan de Fuego killed at least 75 people, with 200 still missing.
Entire villages were buried in ash and debris due to the vulcanian eruption, with people being burned to death as the fast moving pyroclastic flow entered their homes.
Shocking footage emerged of a disorientated woman walking away from the destruction covered in ash, telling a cameraman her entire family had been buried by the volcano.
AP
