2023-08-17 01:16:04
According to official figures, the number of dead following the forest fires on the Hawaiian island of Maui has risen to 110. The number might double, and hundreds of people are still missing, said Hawaii Governor Josh Green at a press conference on Wednesday. Search parties with cadaver dogs had combed through 38 percent of the disaster area by Tuesday. The number of search dogs used is to be doubled to 40.
According to official information, US President Joe Biden will travel to Hawaii on Monday to get an idea of the devastation caused by the wildfires that have destroyed large parts of the Lahaina resort on Maui in the past week. He announced extensive help. “I will continue to work to ensure the people of Hawaii have everything they need to recover from this disaster,” Biden said on Twitter (X). The government will cover the cost of 30 days of emergency aid, so far $2.3 million has already flowed to affected families and more than 1,300 requests for help have been approved, said Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) director Deanne Criswell.
Meanwhile, identification of the victims’ remains has been slow, according to the County of Maui. This is partly due to the intensity of the fire. The US government has sent additional experts and equipment to speed up DNA analysis to identify the dead.
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