Hilo man dies in apparent shaft collapse

A 72-year-old Hilo man died in an apparent cave-in on his property and fall down a shaft, the Hawaii Fire Department said Monday.

According to a statement, police were called to a residence on Poki Place on a missing person report. Officers searched the property and found a fresh cave-in of a manicured area, exposing a shaft 25- to 30-feet deep. The property owner was at the bottom of the shaft, unresponsive.

HFD was called in to extricate the victim’s body.

Authorities haven’t yet released the victim’s identity.