Hawaii's Horei Sea Arch, which resembles an elephant's trunk and legs, collapsed during a storm and disappeared into the sea.

A famous monument resembling an elephant's trunk and legs collapsed in a storm and was buried in water.

(Los Angeles = Yonhap News) Correspondent Kim Kyung-yoon = The 27m high sea arch, which was considered a famous attraction in Hawaii, disappeared into the sea.

CNN reported on the 2nd (local time) that the Horay Sea Arch, located in Volcanoes National Park at the southern tip of the Big Island in Hawaii, recently collapsed.

This arch was formed 550 years ago when lava that flowed from a volcano on the Big Island hardened into basalt and was then carved by waves. It has been loved by tourists for a long time as it resembles an elephant's trunk or legs.

The exact time of collapse was not confirmed, but it was confirmed that it existed until the 23rd of last month and disappeared on the night of the 27th.

This was the time when Hurricane Nolo struck the southern part of the Big Island and the park was temporarily closed.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park announced this news and expressed sadness, saying, "Yes (the collapse) is true. Rest in peace, Horey Arch."

The collapse of the sea arch was already predicted. When Kīlauea Volcano erupted in 2018 and an earthquake occurred, the cliffs around Horay Arch were also damaged. For this reason, the national park closed the existing arch observatory in 2020 and built a new, safer observatory far away from the cliff.

Additionally, tropical storms have caused rocks at the bottom of the arch to fall off due to strong winds.

The National Park Service (NPS) also predicted in 2021, “This landform is beautiful, but its lifespan is limited,” and “the sea arch will eventually collapse into the sea, and another arch will take its place.”