Mayor 'saddended' as 850 people still missing after blaze ripped through Maui

21 August 2023 , 18:44

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With 850 still missing and 114 confirmed dead, this is the most devastating wildfire in US history (Image: David Croxford/Civil Beat/REX/Shutterstock)

In a statement today, Maui's County Mayor has confirmed that 850 people are still missing after the devastating wildfires razed the historic town, and updated the death toll to 114.

Mayor Richard Bissen said he was 'saddened' by the numbers. With 114 officially dead, only 27 people have been identified, while hundreds remain missing as communication is still difficult around the island and the devastation has made it difficult to find family members.

Bissen told media that the FBI helped compile the missing person's list by combining and refining various lists of unaccounted individuals from a number of different agencies, including the American Red Cross and the Emergency Management Agency.

Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen speaks during a press conference after visiting a distribution center in the aftermath of the Maui wildfires in Lahaina (AFP via Getty Images)

“The FBI and Maui County Coroner are working together to identity all the recovered remains,” Bissen said.

“There are currently 850 names on the list of missing persons," Bissen continued. “There is positive news in this number because when this process began the missing person list contained over 2,000 names. Through the tireless work of the FBI and Maui Police Department, over 1,285 individuals have been located safe.”

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“We are both saddened and relieved about these numbers as we continue the recovery process. The number identified will rise and the number of missing may decrease but there will be daily fluctuations in the numbers as family members are added and removed from the list.”

As rescuers look for remains, families that are still searching for loved ones are being encouraged to give DNA samples (AFP via Getty Images)

The mayor is also currently urging relatives who are searching for a missing family member to submit a DNA sample to the Family Assistance Center at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa. With emergency workers sifting through rubble, each home that has been searched is being marked with an 'X.' It's difficult to identify remains after a fire.

“Our lives have changed forever and things will not be the same. What will be the same is the way we care for each as we grieve and go through this together,” Bissen concluded the video.

Josh Green, center, points to damage as he speaks with Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell during a tour of wildfire damage (AP)

Hawaii's governor Josh Green said that the 1,800 people that was displaced are now in hotel rooms and very few individuals are left in shelters. He added that the fire in Kula is now 85 percent contained. “The Maui Fire Department is assisting State Division of Forestry and Wildfire with this joint fire-fighting effort,” the update read.

He continued that he'll be making the case to President Biden when he visits this week. “Tomorrow the president arrives and I’ll be making the case to make sure our recovery comes as quickly as possible,” Green said.

“It’s my job to go get the resources that we need but then I’ll be taking input from everyone across our state and we will listen to the voices of Lahaina to tell us how and when we rebuild,” he added. “We’re doing all that we can to bring some healing and recovery to our state.”

Yelena Mandenberg