Leroy N. Soetoro
2025-01-03 21:36:13 UTC
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Permalinkeve-fireworks-horror.html
Two sisters tragically killed by the Hawaii New Year's Eve fireworks
explosion have been identified by their heartbroken family.
Nelly Turalba Ibarra and Lita were killed in the illegal fireworks display
on Tuesday night during the New Year's Eve celebration that also left
several other family members critically injured.
Some of the injuries were so gruesome that 'brain matter' was left on the
street.
Nelly was described as having an 'infectious laughter and boundless
generosity' that 'touched everyone she met', in a GoFundMe set up by her
stepdaughter Ritchelyn Peterson.
In a separate GoFundMe for Lita's family, they revealed that her son
Junior 'also sustained extensive fire-related injuries,' and that her '3-
year-old grandson has suffered the most extensive injuries with most of
his body burned.'
In addition, Lita's daughter Charmaine 'Char' Benigno, a mother-of-two,
suffered 'burns beyond recognition'.
The blast that detonated at 12:01 am on Wednesday left three dead and more
than two dozen severely wounded at a home on Keak Dive in the neighborhood
of Aliamanu.
Nelly and Lita's neice Sheena Turalva wrote in a GoFundMe that the death
of her two aunts is an 'unimaginable tragedy and 'heartbreaking loss'.
'The emotional, physical, and financial toll on our family is overwhelming
as we navigate this difficult and painful time,' she wrote.
Among those still 'fighting for their lives' are new parents Melissa and
Kevin from the Salt Lake area.
Hawaii Governor Josh Green described the mass casualty incident as
'extraordinarily grotesque' scene that looked like a 'war zone' in its
wake.
Authorities believe the deadly fireworks were set off by an amateur
pyrotechnic. The person has not yet been identified, and a criminal
investigation is underway.
Benigno suffered 'severe injuries that will require extensive medical
care. She has a long recovery ahead,' according to her GoFundMe.
The young mother, who has two sons, ages two and four, remains in the ICU.
Her longtime boyfriend survived the night unscathed.
Benigno's family wrote that her boys and Jacob 'really need her home!'
Two other victims critically wounded in the heinous New Year's Eve
explosion are new parents, only identified by their first names Melissa
and Kevin.
'Kevin is currently in the hospital fighting for his life,' the
description reads in their GoFundMe organized to help the family.
'He has sustained grave injuries, will require extensive medical care, and
has a very long road to recovery,' their family added.
Melissa was flown to another hospital to be placed in their burn unit
since there were no beds available in the hospital she was originally sent
too.
As the couple recovers, their their three-month-old Kaesyn is currently
being taken care of by both Melissa's and Kevin's families.
Minutes after midnight emergency crews rushed to the grisly and chaotic
scene.
While it is still not clear the extent of other injuries of the wounded,
the youngest is a three-year-old child ,
Authorities described the illegal fireworks that detonated as a 'cake' - a
cluster of tubes of up to 50 illegal aerial rockets.
The blast was Hawaii's deadliest fireworks incident in 14 years.
Many in the Aliamanu community are heartbroken and grieving.
On Thursday, friends gathered to place flowers at a makeshift memorial
near where their bodies were found.
Before the tragedy, dozens of partygoers were seen by the home's carport,
and upstairs of the house, but after the fireworks explosion, a haunting
clip captured on video shows only one one or two people exiting the home,
a per KHON 2News.
Neighbor Angelina Bagaforo, who lives across the street, said she was
inside when the fireworks went off and that a friend who was outside
tended to some of the injured.
'My friend carried our friend into the house, she had lacerations on her
fingers, she was bleeding, we couldn't tell where it was coming from but
when we realized it wasn't a major artery or vein and we kept her
stabilized,' Bagaforo said.
She said her friend saw helpless people who she described 'were dazed,
just trying to figure out where the triage center is, asking for help,
laying in the street'.
'It was a lot,' she added.
Aleighya Corpuz told the news outlet about her 12-year-old friend she is
worried sick about.
'She kept saying Aleighya, I cant feel my legs, like it was hurt but numb,
and I looked at her leg when she was leaving and it was bleeding,' she
said.
Another woman who lives across the street where the tragedy took place was
shattered by the incident.
She told the news outlet, 'They just wanted to have a good time and ring
in the New Year with people they loved and cared about.'
--
November 5, 2024 - Congratulations President Donald Trump. We look
forward to America being great again.
The disease known as Kamala Harris has been effectively treated and
eradicated.
We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that
stupid people won't be offended.
Durham Report: The FBI has an integrity problem. It has none.
Thank you for cleaning up the disaster of the 2008-2017 Obama / Biden
fiasco, President Trump.
Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.