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(CNN) - An old man died after falling into a lava tube on his property in Hilo, Hawaii, police announced Wednesday.
The man was reported missing after nothing was heard of him in several days, according to Hawaiian Island police. When they went to his home in Kaumana on Monday, they discovered that the man had collapsed 6 meters below the surface through a soft area of land in a lava tube, according to a press release.
According to the US Geological Survey. In the USA, lava tubes are natural channels through which lava travels below the surface. The tubes are formed by crusting the lava channels and the pahoehoe (fluid lava mantle) flows. Kaumana Caves Park, near Hilo, is a destination for hikers who can explore the lava tubes created by an 1881 flow from Mauna Loa.
Police commander Robert Wagner told Big Island Now that it looked like the man had been trimming branches when he fell on the soft ground.
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Rescuers were able to rappel down the wash tube and bring the man back. He was transported to the Hilo Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, according to the press release.
The police have not revealed the man's name because his family has not been notified. An autopsy on Tuesday determined that he died as a result of injuries consistent with falls, police said, and homicide is not suspected.
Danielle Sills of CNN contributed to this report.
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