Current:Home > InvestUnclear how many in Lahaina lost lives as Hawaii authorities near the end of their search for dead-LoTradeCoin
Unclear how many in Lahaina lost lives as Hawaii authorities near the end of their search for dead
View Date:2024-12-23 20:44:16
HONOLULU (AP) — Crews in Hawaii have all but finished searching for victims of the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century, authorities said Tuesday, and it is unclear how many people perished.
Three weeks after the fire devastated Maui’s historic seaside community of Lahaina, the count of the dead stands at 115. But an unknown number of people are still missing.
Officials suggested that responders likely have already recovered any remains that are recognizable as such, and they are shifting the response to focus on removing hazardous waste and making the area safe for residents to begin returning.
“We have wrapped up almost completely the search and recovery mission and moving into the next phase,” Darryl Oliveira, the interim administrator of the Maui Emergency Management Agency, said at a news conference.
The next phase would be hazardous waste removal conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, he said.
Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said urban search and rescue teams have “completed 100% of their area” but some search activity continues in the ocean off Lahaina.
The FBI is searching 200 yards (183 meters) out along a four-mile (6.4-kilometer) stretch of coastline, but no human remains have been found, he said. There are 110 missing persons reports filed with Maui police, and more than 50 of those remain open cases that are still actively being worked, he said.
Although the initial land search is complete, authorities may also use details from the missing person reports to go over areas again, he added.
“They say, “My loved one was here’ and this may be a data point and we can continue,” Pelletier said. “In case there was a chance that something needs to be further looked at, we’ve got archeologists and we’re gonna make sure that we can do that so, again, we do this the right way.”
He asked for “trust and patience” as officials continue to identify remains and go through lists of the missing.
So far, authorities have identified and notified the loved ones of 45 of those killed. They have collected DNA from 120 people to identify the dead and continue to see more samples.
veryGood! (786)
Related
- Volunteer firefighter accused of setting brush fire on Long Island
- Noem looking to further bolster Texas security efforts at US-Mexico border
- New Mexico will not charge police officers who fatally shot man at wrong address
- TikTok, Snap, X and Meta CEOs grilled at tense Senate hearing on social media and kids
- Inspector general finds no fault in Park Police shooting of Virginia man in 2017
- Californians don’t have to pass a background check every time they buy bullets, federal judge rules
- U.S. beefing up air defenses at base in Jordan where 3 soldiers were killed in drone attack
- CosMc's spinoff location outpaces traditional McDonald's visits by double in first month
- Francesca Farago Details Health Complications That Led to Emergency C-Section of Twins
- Groundhogs are more than weather predictors: Here are some lesser known facts about them
Ranking
- CFP bracket prediction: SEC adds a fifth team to field while a Big Ten unbeaten falls out
- Massachusetts turns recreational plex into shelter for homeless families, including migrants
- Nebraska lawmaker behind school choice law targets the process that could repeal it
- U.K. mulls recognizing a Palestinian state to advance two-state solution, defuse Israel-Hamas war
- Exclusive Yankee Candle Sale: 50% Off Holiday Candles for a Limited Time
- 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' are back — so are the fights and bewitching on-screen chemistry
- Federal judge dismisses case seeking to force US to pressure Israel to stop bombing Gaza
- How mapping 'heat islands' can help cities prepare for extreme heat
Recommendation
-
Jana Duggar Reveals She's Adjusting to City Life Amid Move Away From Farm
-
Alec Baldwin pleads not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in 'Rust' shooting case
-
A Tennessee lawmaker helped pass a strict abortion law. He's now trying to loosen it
-
Everything to know about the Kansas City Chiefs before Super Bowl 2024
-
NY forest ranger dies fighting fires as air quality warnings are issued in New York and New Jersey
-
Russell Brand denies 'very hurtful' assault allegations in Tucker Carlson interview
-
Pearl Jam throws a listening party for their new album that Eddie Vedder calls ‘our best work’
-
Pastor Alistair Begg's podcast pulled over his advice that a woman attend LGBTQ wedding