Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupting in 'full swing': USGS

HAWAII:

Hawaii's Kīlauea volcano was erupting in "full swing" late on Wednesday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said, with local media reporting that the eruption posed no immediate danger to residents.

"What was once a cooling lava lake is now a new fissure eruption," USGS Volcanoes said in a tweet.

The US Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) elevated  Kīlauea's  volcano alert level from "WATCH" to "WARNING" and its aviation colour code from "ORANGE" to "RED" as the  new eruption and associated hazards are evaluated, USGS said.

The latest alert level and colour code imply that a hazardous eruption is "imminent, underway or suspected", according to the USGS website.

The eruption was not in an area with homes and was fully contained within the Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii News Now reported, citing officials.