Baby's hand severed at chocolate factory (Reuters) Updated: 2006-05-15 14:14 An 18-month-old girl's hand was cut off when it
became caught in a conveyor belt at a chocolate factory she was touring with her
family, officials said.
The girl's left hand was caught Saturday in a belt at the Menehune Mac
Factory Gift Center, fire officials said. By the time firefighters arrived,
employees had bandaged the girl and retrieved her hand.
"Our guys just put it in a bag on ice, just to preserve it in case doctors
are able to do anything with it," Fire Capt. Chris Ah Mook Sang said.
She was taken to The Queen's Medical Center, which did not release her
condition.
The girl and her family were attending the company's Fifth Annual Mother's
Day Candy Making Event, a fundraiser for the Hawaii Children's Cancer
Foundation.
Menehune Mac President Neal Arakaki said he was investigating.
"We feel so bad about this," he said. "This is something truly out of the
ordinary. Everyone's just really shook up."
Arakaki said the factory was sanitized and production resumed in a different
area of the factory.
Menehune Mac, founded in 1939, is the oldest existing manufacturer of
macadamia nut candies in Hawaii, according its Web site.
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