Aliamanu New Year’s Eve tragedy GoFundMe raises over $25,000 as community rallies around Hawaii victims family

As the clock struck midnight on New Year's Eve, a tragedy unfolded in the Aliamanu area of Honolulu, Hawaii. The tragedy, which involved the explosion of fireworks, took away the lives of four people and left 20 injured. A GoFundMe page has been set up by the family of two victims to raise funds for their funeral. The funds will also be used to cover the funeral expenses of the rest of the injured members of the family. So far, they have raised over $25,000.

On the GoFundMe page, Sheena Turalva, who organized the fundraiser, revealed that her two aunts passed away during the explosion. She further revealed that her cousins were also injured in the incident and are now fighting for their lives. She wrote,

"Hello, my name is Sheena and I am the niece of Aunty Nelly and Aunty Lita, two women who sadly passed from the Aliamanu incident on New Year's Eve."

"Our family was struck by an unimaginable tragedy when a series of events during the fireworks display claimed the lives of my two loving aunties and left many others in critical condition including my cousins Charmaine and Cherwyn who are currently fighting for their lives."

The limit set for the fundraiser is $50,000, and so far, $25,948 has been raised from 334 donations (at the time of writing).

Turalva further confirmed where the donations will be used.

"As we try to come to terms with this heartbreaking loss, we are also focused on supporting my cousins, nephews and nieces who survived the incident and recovering from their injuries."

"All 100% of the donations will be used to cover medical expenses, funeral costs, and support our loved ones as they recover. Every donation is a step toward healing for our family."

What happened on New Year's Eve in Aliamanu, Hawaii?

On New Year's Eve, illegal fireworks blew up in a house near Salt Lake, Aliamanu area of Honolulu. The first responders revealed they received a call at midnight as videos of a huge explosion went viral. While two people were pronounced dead at the scene, the death toll went up to four a few hours later.

Governor Josh Green addressed the Aliamanu incident in a statement and revealed how traumatic it was as people suffered war zone-line injuries.

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“The truth is that people had traumatic injuries so badly that brain material was across the sidewalk from the ferocity of this explosion, and we want people to hear that because that is what is really possible with these explosive fireworks... Some of the deceased had injuries that were that tragic, that traumatic. We’re talking about the worst possible war zone injuries that took their lives."

The incident has shaken everyone in the nation. Victims of the incident are battling their severe injuries. The Governor also pointed out the state's battle against illegal fireworks, which has been going on for a long time now.

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