Tour helicopter crashes in Hawaii lava field with 6 on board

A helicopter crashed in a lava field in Hawaii Wednesday but all six people on board were safely evacuated, officials said. Two were in serious condition.

Cyrus Johnasen, a public information office for Hawaii County, said the tour helicopter was carrying a pilot and five passengers.

He said the pilot, a man in his 50s, was trapped but was later extracted and was in serious but stable condition.

CBS Honolulu affiliate KGMB-TV reports that a 19-year-old woman was also in serious condition.

All on board were brought to hospitals, the station says.

The 19-year-old was airlifted while the rest were taken by ambulance, KGMB added.

The initial report came in about 5 p.m. and said the aircraft had crashed near the southernmost tip of the Big Island, Johnasen said. The site was inaccessible by vehicle so the Hawaii Fire Department sent two helicopters to take victims to ambulances waiting at nearby roads.

KGMB says the chopper belongs to Paradise Helicopters, which identified it as a Bell 407. There was no immediate word on what may have gone wrong or where the chopper was headed.

But the company said it was cooperating with authorities and seeking to assist those involved.