Another Filipino was confirmed dead in the catastrophic wildfires in Hawaii, the Department of Foreign Affairs announced Tuesday.
According to DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Eduardo de Vega, the second Filipino killed in the wildfires was Rodolfo Rocutan, a 76-year-old resident of Lahaina, Hawaii.
De Vega said Rocutan was one of the five additional fatalities reported by Maui County officials on the 8 August wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii.
“Rocutan renewed his Philippine passport at the Consulate in Honolulu last year,” he said.
“The Consulate has reached out to a relative of the late Mr. Rocutan to convey its deepest sympathies and offer the Philippine government’s support and assistance, including cremation and repatriation of remains as requested,” he added.
Likewise, the DFA said the Philippine Consulate in Honolulu is currently verifying reports that there are two more Filipino nationals killed in the wildfires.
Last week, the agency confirmed the death of Alfredo Galinato, a 79-year-old Filipino victim of wildfires in Maui, the ground zero of the catastrophic wildfires.