Maui confronts the challenge of finding hundreds of missing people after the deadly wildfires

Two weeks after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century swept through the Maui community of Lahaina, authorities say anywhere between 500 and 1,000 people remain unaccounted for -- a staggering number for officials facing huge challenges to determine how many of those perished and how many may have made it to safety but haven't checked in.

As of Monday, there were 115 people confirmed dead, according to Maui police. All single-story, residential properties in the disaster area had been searched, and teams were transitioning to searching multi-story residential and commercial properties, Maui County officials said in an update late Monday.

Sen. Gilbert Keith-Agaran, representing central Maui, said he's not aware of any rules that prevent officials from making the list public. But as someone with several members of his extended family still unaccounted for, he understands why some may not want the list released.Questions are also emerging about how quickly the names of the dead are being publicly released, even after family members have been notified.

Clifford Abihai said he feels like he's getting the run-around from authorities. He came to Maui from California after getting nowhere finding answers about his grandmother, Louise Abihai, 98, by phone. He has been just as frustrated on the ground in Maui. Confirming whether those who are unaccounted for are deceased can be difficult. Fire experts say it's possible some bodies were cremated in the Lahaina fire, potentially leaving no bones left to identify through DNA tests.

The situation on Maui is evolving, but those who lived through similar tragedies and never learned of their loved ones' fate are also following the news and hurting for the victims and their families.

Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Hawaii officials still don't know fate of more than 800 people after Lahaina wildfiresTwo weeks after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century swept through the Maui community of Lahaina, authorities say more than 800 people remain unaccounted for — a staggering number that presents huge challenges for officials trying to sort who perished and who survived.
Source: CBCNews - 🏆 2. / 99 Read more »

Maui confronts the challenge of finding more than 800 missing people after the deadly wildfiresTwo weeks after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century swept through the Maui community of Lahaina, authorities say more than 800 people remain unaccounted for — a staggering number that presents huge challenges for officials who are trying to determine how many of those perished and how many may have made it to safety but haven't checked in.
Source: CP24 - 🏆 30. / 67 Read more »

More than 800 people still missing in Maui weeks after deadly wildfireTwo weeks after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century swept through the Maui community of Lahaina, authorities say more than 800 people remain unaccounted for -- a staggering number that presents huge challenges for officials who are trying to determine how many of those perished and how many may have made it to safety but haven't checked in.
Source: CTVNews - 🏆 1. / 99 Read more »

Maui confronts challenge of finding 800 missing people after deadly wildfiresAfter the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century swept through Lahaina, authorities say more than 800 people remain unaccounted for
Source: calgarysun - 🏆 63. / 52 Read more »