2023-08-25 15:18:12
MAUI, Hawaii – Maui County authorities reduced to 388 this Friday, from the nearly 1,000 previously reported, the number of people missing from the fires on the island that have so far left at least 115 dead.
Through a statement, the county published a “validated list” of names of people whose whereregardings remain unknown since the fire began on the Hawaiian island on August 8.
“The names are being released to the public in an effort to help identify anyone who may become aware,” states the statement on the list that was compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI, for its acronym in English). .
“We are releasing this list of names today because we know it will help with the investigation,” Police Chief John Pelletier said.
Although the publication of the names “may cause pain to people whose loved ones are on the list,” he added, authorities want to ensure that they are doing “everything possible to make this investigation as complete and thorough as possible.” .
As of Thursday followingnoon, 1,732 people who had originally been reported missing had been found safe and sound, he confirmed.
At a press conference on Thursday, one of the heads of the US Army task force assisting Hawaiian authorities in body recovery efforts said he expects the work to take a few more weeks.
“It’s 85 to 87% (of the area) clear right now, but the last remaining structures are going to be extremely tricky,” Col. David Fielder said.
The fires that have ripped through the town of Lahaina, Maui in particular, are the deadliest in the last hundred years in the United States.
At the moment, the investigation into the causes of the fires continues without the origin having been officially established.
Still, Maui County announced Thursday that it has sued several utility companies on the islands for acting “negligently in failing to turn off their equipment despite the National Weather Service alert on Aug. 7.”
The county argued that this negligence ultimately caused the fires, as power lines that were downed by Hurricane Dora’s strong winds ignited brush and dry grass.
Hawaiian Electric, one of the companies included in the lawsuit, has already announced an investigation into what happened on August 15 and defended that the state does not have a system to suddenly turn off the electricity grid because this type of procedure is controversial.
1692977238
#Names #Missing #People #Hawaii #Revealed #NBC #Las #Vegas
