The death toll from wildfires in Hawaii, the deadliest in more than a century in the United States, has risen to 111, archipelago officials said Wednesday.
At a press conference, Hawaii Governor Josh Green admitted that a week after the tragedy, the toll could rise significantly at a time when hundreds of people are still missing.
“This leaves us heartbroken,” the governor added.
Rescue teams, made up of first responders and sniffer dogs, have just finished searching for bodies in about 38% of the affected area in Lahaina, the historic capital of the island of Maui, Green said.
“This is a very difficult search”said the leader of FEMA, the federal agency responsible for responding to natural disasters in the United States, Deanne Criswell.
Hawaiian authorities have called on relatives of the missing to take a DNA test to help identify the bodies. According to ABC News, only nine of the 111 dead have been identified.
A mobile morgue dispatched by federal authorities arrived in Hawaii on Tuesday, along with a team of medical examiners, pathologists and technicians, to help authorities identify the remains.
The teams deployed include specialists who worked on the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, plane crashes or wildfires in the United States.
Josh Green also said about 2,000 homes and businesses on Maui are without electricity and promised those people would receive support from authorities if needed.
The White House announced on Wednesday that US President Joe Biden will travel to Maui next Monday.
The head of state, accompanied by his wife, Jill Biden, will meet with “first responders, survivors and federal, state and local authorities,” the White House spokeswoman announced to the press.
The Democratic president “continues to coordinate a government-wide response” at the federal level and “has pledged to provide the people of Hawaii with everything they need,” said Karine Jean-Pierre.
The White House predicts that the search for victims will continue into early next week, “at a stage that will allow for a presidential visit,” mobilizing significant logistical resources and a significant security apparatus.
Joe Biden had quickly declared a natural disaster situation in Hawaii, allowing emergency resources to be sent from the federal state, and met with Governor Josh Green several times.
However, he was criticized by the Republican opposition for his weak or even indifferent response to those fires, the deadliest in more than a century in the United States.
Source: DN
