Hawaii's Kilauea volcano has erupted again, spewing toxic gases out of two new vents and prompting authorities to call for an immediate evacuation of residents from a second neighbourhood.
The County of Hawaii Civil Defence Agency ordered residents of the Lanipuna Gardens area on the east side of the Big Island to leave their homes.
Halema‘uma‘u lava lake, Kilauea volcano. Photo: U.S. Geological Survey
It said the two new vents had opened near two road intersections and were "actively erupting."
Earlier yesterday, residents of the hardest-hit area, Leilani Estates, drove through clouds of sulphur and over cracked roads to make desperate and possibly last visits home before another eruption.
Kilauea has been a constant state of eruption since 1983, but a series of major explosions began last week, opening large cracks in the earth and spewing lava high into the air.
The activity has so far destroyed 35 homes and other structures.
