2023-09-16 05:42:08
The death toll from the devastating fires in Hawaii has dropped to 97 following a coroner’s inquest. (EUROPA PRESS)
The death toll from the forest fires on the island of Maui, in Hawaii, fell from 115 to 97 people, as reported by the governor of the entity, Josh Green, on his X social network account.
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Green explained that the work of experts and anthropologists in the area helped to have a more accurate view of the victims and noted that there are still 31 complaints from people whose whereregardings are unknown, but who hope to find answers soon.
Initially, local officials believed that at least 115 people had died in the flames, but subsequent testing showed they had repeat DNA samples from some of the individuals who lost their lives. The number of missing people also dropped from 41 to 31, according to what was reported by John Pelletier, Maui police chief.
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John Byrd, laboratory director of the Department of Defense’s Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Accounting Agency (DPAA), said at a news conference that the current death toll should be considered a minimal, because it is possible that it might increase.
Determining the number of people who lost their lives in the Aug. 8 wildfires in the town of Lahaina has been complicated by fire damage and chaos as people tried to escape, officials said. In some cases animal remains were inadvertently collected along with human remains.
Local officials believed at least 115 people had died in the flames, but later tests showed they had repeat DNA samples from some of the individuals who lost their lives. (NYT)
The Lahaina fire was the deadliest in the United States in more than a century. Trapped in an inferno, some of the residents died in their cars, while others jumped into the ocean or tried to run to safety. Much of the historic town was reduced to ashes.
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Byrd said the initial death toll was too high for several reasons, adding that the fact that the number is lower now is a result of the “normal and natural” progression of long-term forensic investigation.
The cause of the wildfires, which burned a total of 14 square kilometers and destroyed at least 2,200 structures, remains under investigation. Local and state officials have received considerable criticism for their response before, during and following the Lahaina fire broke out.
Former Maui Emergency Management Agency chief Herman Andaya resigned from his position a week following the fire following facing questions regarding his controversial decision not to activate the island’s warning sirens as the wildfire was spreading. .
Determining the number of people who lost their lives in the August 8 wildfires in the town of Lahaina has been complicated due to the damage caused by the fire. (REUTERS)
Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen has also received criticism for his inability to account for his own actions during the first hours of the fire.
Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez hired the nonprofit UL Fire Safety Research Institute as a “private third-party organization” to evaluate the response of local government agencies to the fires.
The US Government has already allocated more than $5.6 million in assistance to victims, according to data from the White House.
(With information from EFE, AP and Europa Press)
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