A suspected gas explosion thought to be caused by a malfunctioning grill has injured seven, with three fighting for their lives. The incident happened at a luxury resort in Maui.
The injured, who have not yet been named, range in age from 17 to 74. One had to be airlifted to Maui Memorial Medical Center for emergency treatment.
The source of the explosion is understood to be have been a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) device that blew up at around 6.15pm. It sounded "like a bomb going off", according to witnesses just a couple of buildings away.
Shocking footage from a CCTV camera overlooking Kaanapali beach displayed the terrifying moment, as smoke and debris were hurled across the sand. Authorities from the Maui Fire Department and Maui Police Department rushed to the scene near The Whaler condominium's pool area, where the explosion seemingly originated.
One individual had to be urgently transported to the Maui Memorial Medical Center Emergency Room by medevac. The Maui Police Department indicated that "Preliminary investigations suggest that the explosion may have involved liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which supplies common area BBQs. Witness statements indicate a possible grill malfunction before the incident."
Onlookers took to social media to share their experiences of the incident and detailed victims suffering from shrapnel injuries. One Reddit user described the scene as "gory," writing: "I was one of the people on the scene after the explosion. Ate dinner at the hula grill and saw the explosion. Traumatic.
"Shrapnel injuries, big and little, 4 people for sure, had a medical trauma doc show up and help all of the injured waiting for first responders. All of the victims were responsive and to be polite, it was gory."
Another Reddit user shared that the explosion had 'shaken their room', writing: "I am staying down the hall from the grill area at the Whaler on the 1st floor. The explosion shook our entire room.
"Went outside and looked from a distance after the police/firemen were out there – looked to be a few people on the ground being tended to. We had literally just used the doors in that area to get back to our room 40 min before this happened. I really hope everyone is okay," reports the Mirror US.
Yet another Reddit user wrote: "Yeah it was bad, I'm working on the outrigger and heard it, seen people running so I also went to see if I could help. Super sad to see people injured."
Another eyewitness, Lyndsay Bourcellot, relayed to Khon2 her experience: "So we're sitting having dinner at Monkey Pod. We heard a lot almost shake too and we thought 'maybe it was an earthquake.' The restaurant got quiet, people looking around."
Comments
Leave a Comment