The tally kept by the authorities says it all about the scale of the disaster. Two weeks after the deadly fires that devastated the island of Maui, the authorities of Hawaii announced Tuesday to identify another 1,100 missing people, according to a list established by the FBI, which calls for the help of their relatives to facilitate the search.
These fires, the deadliest for a century in the United States, have killed at least 115 people, according to the latest provisional report. But this tragedy could turn out to be much heavier. Since the fire almost razed the tourist town of Lahaina, where 12,000 inhabitants resided, thousands of missing persons appear on various lists circulating on social networks or kept by various authorities. The FBI is now working to standardize this data.
A dedicated phone number
“We are cross-checking all the lists in order to be able to determine who is still really missing,” announced Special Agent Steven Merrill to the press. After examination, the federal police currently lists “1,100” missing persons, according to him. This number is “likely to increase”, he added, as the FBI is “still in the process of collecting additional data”. The FBI has set up a dedicated phone number (808-566-4300) and encourages relatives of the missing to contact it.
The FBI also employs agents to collect DNA samples from families of missing persons who cannot travel to Maui, wherever they are in the world. Because the identification of the unrecognizable corpses found in the ashes of Lahaina is laborious. Of the 115 victims identified, only 27 have been identified so far.