Life · Travel | 2023.08.10 17:31
[서울=뉴스핌] Correspondent Lee Young-tae = Foreign Minister Park Jin, who is on a tour of Africa in connection with the damage caused by the large-scale wildfire in Hawaii, ordered the establishment of emergency safety measures for overseas Koreans and tourists on the 10th (local time), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
In Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, the first country he visited that day, Minister Park received a wired report on local damage from Consul General Lee Seo-young of Honolulu regarding the damage caused by the massive forest fire in Hawaii, and said this.
Massive wildfires devastating the Hawaiian island of Maui. [사진=로이터 뉴스핌]
He ordered Consul General Lee Seo-young and Director of the Consular Security Bureau Jeong Gang at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to make every effort to establish emergency safety measures for overseas Koreans and tourists.
In this regard, Second Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Oh Young-joo presided over a headquarters-embassy joint countermeasures meeting (video) to check the damage from the wildfires in Hawaii this afternoon.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “This meeting was held to understand the local situation and the current status of damage to Korean citizens in relation to the wildfires and urban fires on the island of Maui, Hawaii, which occurred on the 8th (local time), and to review measures to protect Koreans living abroad.” The Consul General of Honolulu and Hong Seok-in, Ambassador of Public Diplomacy, attended the ceremony.”
Vice Minister Oh said, “Despite the poor situation in which electricity and communication are cut off, the headquarters and missions cooperate closely to quickly grasp the current state of damage to Korean citizens, while taking necessary measures so that Korean citizens residing on the island of Maui can move to a safe place as soon as possible.” I will do it,” he urged.
According to foreign media such as the Associated Press, a wildfire that broke out on the island of Maui, Hawaii, a world-class resort, devastated tourist destinations and private houses, resulting in loss of life and property. The forest fire that occurred on the island of Maui the previous day continues to spread throughout the island until today, the second day.
Maui County, Hawaii posted an emergency notice on its website and social network service (SNS) that day and issued an evacuation order to residents in wildfire danger zones. “Wildfires have swept through the community,” Hawaii’s acting governor Sylvia Luke said. “This is not a safe area.” On this day, more than 1,000 residents were evacuated to four shelters.
Wildfires are spreading to Lahaina, a famous tourist destination on the island of Maui, as well as to Kula and Kihei, where private houses are concentrated. As Hurricane Dora passed through the southern Hawaiian Islands, strong winds blew through wildfire areas, increasing the scale of damage.
At least six people have died and 24 others have been injured in Maui wildfires, according to the Associated Press.
Tourists who visited the island of Maui were also isolated. 2,000 travelers are stranded at Maui’s Kahului Airport. Now, Maui County authorities are developing a bus movement plan to evacuate tourists in Lahaina to the airport.
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2023-08-10 08:01:00
