Maui INCREASES number of missing to 1,100 following Lahaina firestorm

August 26, 2023

Number of missing people after Maui wildfires increase to 1,110 as FBI plans to release list of names this week

The Hawaiian island of Maui has increased the number of missing people from the Lahaina firestorm to 1,100
The increase from 850 comes two weeks after deadly wildfires ravaged the island
Maui police chief John Pelletier said authorities were refining the data and were hoping to publish a verified list of missing persons ‘in the next few days’

The number of missing people in Maui has increased by 250 to 1,100 two weeks after deadly fires ravaged the island and left more than 115 people dead.

The fires were the deadliest to hit the United States in a century and search and rescue efforts have been slow.

Few of the dead have been publicly identified and crews have scoured the destruction to locate the missing. There is fear that as missing people are found, it will cause the death toll to rise further.

The tourist town of Lahaina, home to 12,000 people, was all but wiped off the map, with thousands of missing persons appearing on lists maintained by various organizations, including the police, Red Cross and shelters.

As of Tuesday, the FBI had counted 1,100 missing persons and is now working to collate and verify the data with a list to be released later this week, Special Agent Steven Merrill told reporters on Tuesday.

‘We’re cross-referencing all the lists so that we can determine who, in fact, truly is still unaccounted for,’ Merrill said.

The Hawaiian island of Maui has increased the number of missing people from the Lahaina firestorm to 1,100 two weeks after the deadly wildfires ravaged the island, authorities said Tuesday

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The FBI has set up a dedicated telephone hotline – (808) 566-4300 – and has encouraged relatives of the missing to contact them.

‘We really need the public’s help’, said Merrill, particularly in terms of getting additional information to verify details for some of the missing.

Maui police chief John Pelletier said authorities were refining the data and were hoping to publish a verified list of missing persons ‘in the next few days.’

FBI agents have also been collecting DNA samples from the families of the missing who are unable to travel to Maui.

Identifying the unrecognizable bodies found in the ashes of Lahaina is a laborious task.

Having the DNA of the families of the missing ‘is a critical step in order to make an identification’ of the victims, said Julie French, vice president of ANDE, the company in charge of these operations.

‘Nearly three-quarters of remains that have been tested for DNA thus far have generated searchable DNA results,’ she said.

The fires were the deadliest to hit the United States in a century, claiming at least 115 lives, according to the latest provisional death toll

A general view shows the aftermath of a devastating wildfire in Lahaina on Tuesday

FBI agents have also been collecting DNA samples from the families of the missing who are unable to travel to Maui, wherever in the world they may be

As of Tuesday, the FBI had counted 1,100 missing persons, up rom 850, with the number likely to rise

The FBI is now working to collate and verify the data with a list to be released later this week

But without DNA from relatives against which to compare this data, the process is futile.

Only 104 DNA samples from family members of the missing or dead have been collected so far, and the authorities were keen to dispel any distrust of the process.

‘The DNA profiles are not being retained by the FBI’ or the police, said Maui County District Attorney Andrew Martin.

‘The only purpose for which it will be used is helping identify the unaccounted for.’

President Joe Biden and his wife Jill arrived on Maui on Monday to tour the areas devastated by the wildfires.

Amid growing criticism at the perceived lack of federal support, Biden’s visit was always going to be contentious, and the president’s motorcade was met with boos and jeers, with some showing their middle finger and waving Trump 2024 flags.

Biden did little to endear himself to the traumatized islanders, delivering a rambling speech referencing the death of his wife and baby daughter in 1972, and later telling an anecdote about a 2004 kitchen fire in his Delaware home.

Meeting one of the rescuers, Biden then made a clumsy joke about needing protective footwear, telling the worker: ‘Hot ground!’

Ethan Meyers, right, carries crosses to put up to honor the victims killed in the wildfires

The FBI has set up a dedicated telephone hotline and has encouraged relatives of the missing to contact them

Identifying the unrecognizable bodies found in the ashes of Lahaina is a laborious task

Only 104 DNA samples from family members of the missing or dead have been collected so far, and the authorities were keen to dispel any distrust of the process

President Joe Biden and his wife Jill arrived on Maui on Monday to tour the areas devastated by the wildfires

His appearance at the memorial gave further ammunition to critics.

As of Monday, there were 115 people confirmed dead, according to Maui police. So far, only 27 of the 115 victims have been identified.

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.

Rescue crews have set up distribution sites offering food, water and supplies to those impacted by the wildfires. Internet and electricity service continues to be restored in the affected areas.

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