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According to local authorities, the previous figure reported 385 missing people and 115 dead.
Published on September 9, 2023 10:29 am
Reading time: 1 min.
A fire-ravaged neighborhood of Lahaina on the island of Maui (Hawaii), September 5, 2023. (KAYO GOTO / YOMIURI / AFP)
The number of missing people after the gigantic fire that devastated the island of Maui, in the US state of Hawaii, has fallen from 385 to 66, the governor of the archipelago announced on Friday, September 8. The fire, the deadliest in the United States in more than a century, nearly leveled the tourist town of Lahaina, the former capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii.
The death toll from the fire is still at 115 but could rise further, warned Josh Green. The local police are investigating the fate of the missing people. Rescuers have completed the search on the fire-scorched land but are continuing at sea, where people had jumped to escape the flames. Some 6,595 displaced people are being accommodated in hotels on the island and another 1,100 in rental accommodation. In about two weeks, “we will be moving people into long-term housing,” Josh Green said.
The Lahaina fire destroyed at least 2,200 structures, mostly homes, and caused damage that insurance experts said could be as high as $3 billion. The heat generated by the flames had melted cars, burned homes and left behind hazardous waste. The fires also had dramatic consequences for the environment.
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