Maui County officials said nine victims have been identified in the aftermath of the devastating wildfires.
The challenge is formidable: identifying the remains of more than 100 victims as agonized loved ones yearn for information about those missing in Maui after the United States’ deadliest wildfire in more than a century.
As Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said this week when asked about the death toll: "You want it fast ... We’re going to do it right."As of Thursday afternoon, the toll stood at 111, though the search continues, and Gov. Josh Green has warned scores more could be found. Maui County said nine victims have been identified. Officials have released five names while trying to reach families of the other four, but some other names have emerged from relatives.
Charred remains of a burned neighbourhood is seen in the aftermath of a wildfire, in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii on August 14, 2023. Rapid DNA-testing machines that were used after a 2018 blaze that largely destroyed Paradise, California, also are being put to work in Maui. The instruments, roughly the size of a large computer printer or microwave oven, were developed a decade or so ago and designed for use in the field.
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