Fireworks blast at Hawaii storage bunker kills five workers trapped underground
Five workers are feared dead after an explosion in a storage bunker packed full of fireworks.
The men were trapped inside the bunker built into the side of the hill just outside Honolulu, Hawaii.
A powerful initial explosion set off a series of blasts, which continued for hours, in the cave used to store confiscated fireworks.
Explosion: The men were trapped inside the hillside bunker used to store fireworks when a series of explosions, which continued for hours, occurred
The bodies of two men were pulled from about 20 feet inside the entrance, but rescuers said it was too dangerous to go further into the bunker, which only has one entrance.
Fire chiefs said they were waiting for the storage bunker to cool down today before entering to retrieve the remaining bodies, which are believed to be at the far end of the cave.
Honolulu Fire Captain Terry Seelig said: ‘The risk is too great to the rescuers, it’s too unstable to enter the bunker tunnel. There isn't anything we can do but let it cool off.’
Police sent robots into the bunker to get a view from inside, but they determined that the bunker was still too hot to enter.
'Smart boy': Family members paid tribute including Mr Kelii's grandfather George told reporters that he 'did not know how something like this could happen'
Three of the men killed were identified by family members.
Justin Kelii, 29, was last seen inside the cave when the first explosion occurred.
His grandfather, George Kelii, told local station Hawaii News Now: ‘He was a very hard worker, very smart boy. I don’t know how something like this could happen.’
Mr Kelii’s aunt, Deborah Dulatre, told the station: ‘He loved a lot of things and meant a lot to our family. We’re going to miss him a lot, we still cannot believe this happened.’
Robert Leahey, 50, and Bryan Cabalce were also identified men who died. Mr Leahey was one of the two men whose bodies were recovered.
Too hot: Fire chiefs said the high temperature inside the bunker and the threat of further explosions meant it was too dangerous to enter last night
The bunker is one of 130 underground storage facilities built into the hill once used by the military to store nuclear weapons.
Fire officers estimated that each of the bunkers are about 250 feet long, 12 to 20 feet wide, and 18 feet high.
All the men were employees of Donaldson Enterprises, an environmental services and unexploded ordnance disposal company.
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