Neighbor Island briefs

Advertiser Staff and News Services

Kona man hurt in fall off Puna cliff

KALOLI, Hawai'i — A camper who fell 20 feet off a Puna cliff into the ocean early yesterday was reported in serious condition at Hilo Medical Center with head injuries.

The 20-year-old Kona man was not identified by police investigators in Puna, who said they were searching for family members. The cause of the fall was not determined, but a police spokesman in Kea'au said foul play was not suspected.

The man was pulled from the shoreline by friends around 3 a.m. yesterday and taken by ambulance to the hospital, about 15 miles away. Bad weather prevented use of a helicopter for the rescue.

Power failure hits Kona area

KAHALU'U, Hawai'i — Failure of an underground power cable left 4,050 customers without electricity Saturday evening, Hawai'i Electric Light Co. officials reported yesterday.

It took some Kona customers as along as 2 hours and 20 minutes before service was restored after the 5:37 p.m. breakdown.

Spokesman Jay Ignacio did not explain what caused the cable south of Kailua Village to fail.

Power was restored through a series of switching operations.