A warning after a toddler nearly ran off a cliff

Hawaii National Park has issued a new warning for hikers after a child was caught “just in time” falling from the edge of an erupting volcano.

The little boy broke away from his family and “in a split second ran straight to the 400-foot cliff edge” of the Kilauea volcano, the park said.

“His mother, screaming, managed to grab him,” the park added in a statement, when the toddler was “just a foot or so from a fatal fall.”

Park ranger Jessica Ferrocan, who witnessed the incident, told the BBC she hoped revealing the details of the incident would help “prevent future tragedies”.

Kilauea, on the Big Island of Hawaii, is one of the most active volcanoes in the world.

It regularly erupts, and the last eruption began on December 23 with depicted lava erupting to the surface.

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said the eruption continues at a low level in the national park’s closed area. in the latest update on Saturday.

The park said the incident happened on Christmas Day in a closed area of ​​the park where families had gathered to watch the lava.

It was in an area overlooking the caldera – the volcano’s large crater – and the boy would not have survived the fall, Ms Ferracan said.

Park rangers said they want to remind visitors to stay on the trail and stay out of closed areas, and to keep children close.

“Those who ignore warnings, walk past closure signs, lose track of loved ones and sneak into closed areas to get a closer look do so at great risk.”

Ms Feracon added: “Hopefully sharing the news will prevent future tragedies and emergencies.”