850 still missing after Maui fires, mayor says - BBC

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Search and recovery team members check charred buildings and cars in the aftermath of the Maui wildfires in Lahaina

By Madeline Halpert

BBC News, New York

Some 850 people are still missing after the devastating wildfires in Maui, County Mayor Richard Bissen has said.

Over 1,200 people who had been on the list of those missing have been found safe, Mr Bissen said on Monday, warning numbers are expected to fluctuate.

One hundred and fourteen people are confirmed to have died.

President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit the island for the first time since the deadly fires swept through earlier this month.

The blazes destroyed most of the historic Maui town of Lahaina and the fires are now considered the worst natural disaster in Hawaii state history.

"Our lives have changed forever and things will not be the same," Mr Bissen said in a video update posted to social media. "What will be the same is the way we care for each other as we grieve and go through this together."

To date, 27 of the deceased have been identified and 11 families had been notified, he said.

Details of who the victims are have begun to emerge in recent days - they so far include an avid musician, and loving grandmothers and fathers.

Mr Bissen said that in some respects, the figure of 850 missing was "positive news" because it marked a decrease from the more than 2,000 in the aftermath of the fires.

He asked those who had loved ones still missing to provide a DNA sample to assist in the recovery search.

Experts have told the BBC both finding and identifying the victims could take months or even years given the magnitude of the destruction and the condition that many of the remains are likely to be found in.

Mr Biden is expected to travel with First Lady Jill Biden later on Monday to meet with the victims of the fires, including Lahaina residents, first responders and local officials.

In a statement, the president pledged to do "everything in my power to help Maui recover and rebuild from this tragedy".

Mr Biden has come under fire from Republicans who claim he has not done enough to address the devastation.

Local officials have also faced criticism. Maui's emergency management chief resigned last week after the agency faced backlash for failing to activate its alarm system in the wake of the fire.

The president plans to name a federal emergency official to lead long-term recovery efforts on the island on Monday, a White House official told US media.

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850 still missing after Maui fires, mayor says - BBC

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