8-year-old boy critically injured after he fell into a WWII-era military bunker

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow/Gray News) – An 8-year-old boy was critically injured after falling into a WWII-era bunker in Hawaii on Saturday.

The accident happened at Koko Crater Tramway in Oahu, a site famous for its WWII-era tramway and grueling 1,000-plus steps to the top.

Officials said the child accessed an entry point to a bunker at the summit and fell 20-40 feet.

Members of Kokonut Koalition hiked up to the bunker at the summit just off the city’s new metal platform to assess what happened.

The nonprofit has a city contract to maintain the trail, while the city is responsible for the historic structure.

Kokonut Koalition President Lena Haapala believes the boy crawled through a 1-foot-high, 2-feet-wide, above-ground rectangular hole that suddenly drops into a narrow shaft. That hole is now covered up.

“I saw where he entered and it’s just a little rectangular hole that you would have to crawl in, but it just drops off down into the darkness about 30-40 feet,” said Haapala.

Inside that concrete shaft is rusted and broken metal, a ladder, and rocks at the bottom.

“I felt emotional just imagining what he went through and what the parents felt and just falling into darkness,” she said.

Hikers retraced the steps firefighters took to save the boy. The shaft is too tight to fit an adult, so Kokonut Koalition members say first responders had to go through the dark main access tunnel, which is filled with deteriorating parts of the structure.

Officials said the boy was stuck for about 40 minutes before being rescued. He was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition.

Haapala says, despite online backlash, the boy and his family need care and compassion.

“Kids are kids, and it takes one second and that’s it,” said Haapala. “This is horrible. He’s not in a good state right now, and you just need to look out for him and the family.”

The trail was closed to the public for five days but has since reopened. City officials say they identified three access points to the bunkers, which have now been sealed off with wood, caution tape, and signs are now present that say all bunkers are closed.