DFA confirms 2 Filipinos killed in Hawaii wildfire, verifying 2 others
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that one more Filipino has been killed from the wildfires in Maui, Hawaii, bringing the total number of Filipino fatalities to two.
The second reported fatality is Rodolfo Rocutan — a 76 year-old resident of Lahaina, according to DFA Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega.
Rocutan renewed his passport at the Philippine consulate in Honolulu in 2022 and is “thus confirmed to have been a Filipino citizen at the time of death,” according to information provided by the Philippine Consulate in Hawaii.
Consul General Emilio Fernandez said that the Consulate is verifying reports of two more Filipino nationals who possibly died from the wildfires.
“Once again, the Philippine nation expresses its deepest sympathies to the families of all the victims of this tragedy,” Fernandez said.
The DFA last week confirmed the first Filipino fatality in the deadly blazes, which have left more than 100 dead and 1,000 missing in the four days it ravaged the island.
The destructive wildfires in Hawaii were caused by several conditions, including hot weather, strong winds, and a drought.
DFA has advised Filipinos who lost contact with their relatives in Maui, particularly in Lahaina, to contact the emergency hotline +18082539446 for additional information. — Cristina Chi with reports by James Relativo