Elote vendor loses his hand when he picked up a homemade bomb disguised as garbage

• An elote vendor lost his hand in a terrible accident.
• Francisco Azcona mistook a homemade bomb for garbage.
• Now they are looking for the person responsible for the alleged attack.

An elote vendor’s hand was amputated when a homemade bomb exploded in Santa Ana California. Francisco Azcona’s family is asking for help through a GoFundMe campaign because Azcona is originally from Pueblo, Mexico and his 2-year-old daughter is still there. Police believe it was an attack, according to People en Español.

The alleged attack occurred in Orange County, just two months after he Francisco Azcona came to this country, leaving behind his 2-year-old daughter. He never imagined that a job like selling street corn could be dangerous.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Francisco Azcona also suffered burns to his chest and injuries to both hands. He is still frightened by the incident and feels it deep in his soul. The elote vendor mistook the «homemade bomb wrapped in aluminum» for a piece of garbage. Who would imagine that an aluminum ball contained a bomb that would go off in his hand?

So far, the authorities are investigating what happened just outside the Mexican man’s home. What we do know is that his life will never be the same. He will have to learn to use only one hand from now on.

THE TRAGIC STORY

Luis López, the victim’s brother-in-law, told People en Español exclusively what happened that Friday at his home in Orange County, California: «It happened around 10:15 a.m. We are street vendors. Those are the hours that we are cleaning the corn, chopping the fruit.”

He added: «He was entering the house and he saw it lying there,» López explained about the object that turned out to be a homemade bomb according to what Santa Ana police explained to the family. “It was like a little ball wrapped in foil. He went to throw it away and that’s when it exploded.” Filed Under: Elotes vendor hand amputated

WHY COULDN’T HIS HAND BE SAVED?

The relatives continued to explain: «He didn’t have time to throw it and it exploded in his left hand, destroying his wrist and from there they took him to the hospital. The policemen came and they gave told us not to approach it and that it was a bomb. He says it was an attack. There are no cameras, there is nothing, it is not known [who did it].”

Later, the media outlet commented: “It damaged his right hand, but it will heal and he had surgery on his left hand. He lost that one, they will remove the piece that was still left.” Tragically, the elotero had just moved to California about two months ago, leaving his nearly two-year-old daughter behind in Mexico. Filed Under: Elotes vendor hand amputated

THE FAMILY ASKS FOR HELP

After the tragedy, the family immediately asked for help, creating a GoFundMe campaign requesting money for the hospital bills: “They are street vendors and with this tragedy they have not been able to go out to work. For this reason, we ask everyone’s help to raise funds, to help with the costs of therapies, hospital bills, meals, etc.”

«He feels bad, sad, he feels afraid, we are all affected,» says López. “We are scared, he is missing his little girl a lot. We don’t know how to help him, treat him, his family works in construction and here he started selling corn when he got here we taught him how to do that.” In Mexico he worked in greenhouses in Puebla. He is from San Antonio la Fortilla Tecamachalco, Puebla.” Filed Under: Elotes vendor hand amputated