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’.
Sisters Nelly and Lita were killed in the illegal fireworks display on Tuesday night during the New Year’s Eve celebration
Nelly was described as having an ‘infectious laughter and boundless generosity’ that ‘touched everyone she met’
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.
‘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.
Pictured: Charmaigne Benigno with her longtime partner Jacob. While Jacob was not injured, Benigno is fighting for her life in the ICU
Hawaii governor Josh Green described the ‘extraordinarily grotesque’ scene and said ‘brain material’ was found on the sidewalk
Some of the injuries were so gruesome that ‘brain matter’ was left on the street
‘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.
New parents Melissa and Kevin with their three-month-old son suffered catastrophic injuries
Charmaine ‘Char’ Benigno, a mother-of-two, was critically injured in the blast
Aerial view of the New Year’s Eve explosion where emergency crews set up a triage
Two people were pronounced dead at the scene, and a 23-year-old female later also succumbed to her injuries
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.’
