Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — One of the two firefighters who survived the tragic accident, which killed two other firefighters last Thursday morning, was reported released from the LBJ Hospital last Friday while the other injured firefighter is still in the hospital.

A senior firefighter confirmed to Samoa News last Friday that one of the two survivors was released Friday afternoon and was able to visit the main fire station in Fagatogo where he was welcomed by his fellow firefighters.

Samoa News understands that the family of the other survivor who is still hospitalized, is requesting that he be medivaced off island for treatment.

“We’re hoping that something good will come from negotiations between the government and the family so that he will be sent off island for treatment very soon. Our prayers are still with the two survivors and also families of the two firemen killed in this tragic accident,” a senior fireman said.

Flowers and candles were laid at the scene as family and relatives mourned the loss of two who died last Thursday morning when their fire truck crashed into the mountainside as it was coming down the hill after the Afono pass, approaching Aua village.

The two firefighters who died from the deadly incident are identified as Captain Allen Talofa Velega and Captain Mike Tipoti.

The two survivors were on the back of the fire truck.

While the Department of Public Safety (DPS) is continuing with their investigation into the cause of the deadly incident, several firefighters said it’s suspected that the fire truck’s brakes were not functioning and the driver was trying his very best to stop the truck and had to veer into the mountain side to bring it to a halt.

A firefighter told Samoa News on the morning of the accident that the fire trucks are old and they have been asking leaders for a long time to fix some of the mechanical problems these old fire trucks have, and their requests have been falling on deaf ears.

“Now, the problem is a reality, which took away two precious lives of these men who had served the government and their families for many years. Who is going to be blamed with this accident? I believe that someone is liable for this tragic accident,” a fireman said.

He further stated that the fire division has suffered from a lack of equipment and maintenance funds for years, and the situation hasn’t improved for decades.

Fellow firefighters described Captains Velega and Tipoti as two of the most experienced fire truck operators in the Fire Division of Public Safety. Both of them were members of the Second Fire Academy and have been firefighters since 2012.

Captain Velega was killed at the scene while Captain Tipoti died at the hospital later.

A family member of one of the captains told Samoa News that this accident could have been prevented if the mechanical problems had been fixed a long time ago. She said that while their family has received numerous statements from their loved one’s colleagues regarding the mechanical problems these fire truck had, the family believes that something needs to be done to fix the problem before it costs more lives in the future.

“This is a very serious problem and DPS needs to look into this matter and come up with a quick solution to prevent any more fatalities in the future,” the family member said.