'2 Koreans confirmed dead in Maui' foreign ministry

By Lee Kyung-min

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Sunday that officials are looking into the deaths of two Korean visitors found unconscious in waters off Maui, Hawaii, last week.

“The Consulate General of Korea in Honolulu dispatched a consul to Maui to help clarify how and why their deaths occurred. It also notified the families of the deceased, in Korea,” the ministry said.

“The government will support the bereaved with financial expenses for airline tickets, autopsies and funeral services.”

The announcement followed a report from a news outlet, Hawaii News Now, which reported Friday (local time) that two Koreans, whose names had not been released, died Thursday, citing local authorities.

Firefighters responded to Keawakapu Beach about 4:50 p.m. after the two were found floating face down just offshore, the report said. The authorities said the two apparently drowned.

When rescuers arrived, bystanders were already performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The man, 40, was pronounced dead at the scene, and the 37-year-old woman was later pronounced dead after being transferred to Maui Memorial Hospital.

Police in Maui are conducting autopsies to determine the cause of their deaths, according to the Consulate General of Korea in Honolulu.