Burnt cars and homes are seen in a neighborhood that was destroyed by a wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii
LAHAINA (Hawaii, US), Aug 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — With nearly 400 people still unaccounted for after catastrophic wildfires ravaged most of Maui earlier this month, Hawaii officials released a list of names, hoping the public can help identify any of the missing individuals.
The “validated list” – curated by the FBI – includes 388 names and was released on Thursday, Maui County said. At least 115 others are confirmed to be deceased in the deadliest US wildfire disaster in over a century.
“We’re releasing this list of names today because we know that it will help with the investigation,” Maui County Police Chief John Pelletier said in the news release. “We also know that once those names come out, it can and will cause pain for folks whose loved ones are listed.”
“This is not an easy thing to do, but we want to make sure that we are doing everything we can to make this investigation as complete and thorough as possible.”
With the help of cell phone data being used to track down where victims may have been when the wildfires began and search crews and cadaver dogs searching single-story, multistory homes and commercial properties in the disaster area, officials believe this list will help lower the number of unaccounted for.
As of late Thursday afternoon, an additional 1,732 individuals who had originally been reported as missing were found safe and well, they said in the release. — NNN-AGENCIES
