Three-year-old boy dies days after Honolulu New Year's Eve fireworks explosion - raising death toll to 4
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A three year old boy has become the fourth fatality following a catastrophic New Year's Eve fireworks explosion in Honolulu, bringing the death toll to four after the incident which also left over 20 people injured. The blast initially claimed the lives of three women and inflicted severe burns on many victims, some with burns covering most of their bodies.
Due to the limited capacity of Hawaii's only burn center, six of the injured were airlifted to Phoenix, Arizona for urgent care. Dr. Kevin Foster, head of the Arizona Burn Center, revealed in an online news conference that the patients, all in their 20s and 30s, suffered extensive injuries, with the least affected having 45% body burns and the worst nearly 80%.
Currently on breathing tubes, most are in medically induced comas. Despite their critical conditions, Dr. Foster noted they are doing "very well" with stable vital signs, but cautioned it could take up to a year for them to resume any semblance of normal life, with several expected to remain in comas for months.
READ MORE: First bird flu-related human fatality reported in US as man, 66, dies - health officials confirm. Patients at the burn center are expected to face post-traumatic stress disorder, according to Foster, who highlighted the facility's robust support system including two full-time psychologists and a psychiatrist on staff. "There's something uniquely and particularly horrifying about being burned, especially from this type of injury," he commented, reports the Mirror US.
