Volcano burn victims from Guatemala arrive in US for treatment
GALVESTON, Texas -- Burn victims from Guatemala have arrived in Texas to receive treatment.
At least six children who have been severely burned by Sunday's volcanic eruption in Guatemala will receive care at Shriners Hospital in Galveston.
Shriners Hospital medical staff, Shriners, and military personnel waited since midnight for the children, who arrived around 4:45 a.m. at Scholes airport in Galveston.
They are now at the hospital's pediatric burn center.
Within 24 hours of the first eruption over the weekend, Shriners says an emergency medical team from its Galveston hospital was sent to provide care in Guatemala, where they've been working for days.
Shriners says that the children are in critical condition, but hasn't shared the extent of their injuries due to medical confidentiality. However, you can help them by donating online.
We also don't know the children's exact ages, but some of them could be very young.
"We have some of the world's leading doctors. They go all over the world. Not just here. All over the world. Teaching other doctors how to treat burn patients. We're very proud of them," said Raymond Rubio with the Galveston Shriners.
"It's very important that we support these children. They suffer severe burns. Back in the early days when we were doing this, a severely burned child had about a 35 percent chance of survival. Now, it's up to nearly 90 percent. They perform miracles everyday at our hospital here," Rubio added.
Here in Houston, volunteers are also accepting donations at area restaurants for those affected by the volcano.
You can drop off non-perishable items to Guatemala Restaurant at 3330 Hillcroft St. Houston, TX 77057.
At least 75 people are dead and 192 are missing due to the eruptions, which have also halted rescue missions as search crews were forced to evacuate.
