Hawaii fires: First victims named as death toll reaches 106

HAWAII, Aug 16: The first victims from the deadly wildfires that swept Maui island last week have been identified by officials.

Maui's police department named the first two victims as Robert Dyckman, 74, and Buddy Jantoc, 79, both from the town of Lahaina.

The death toll from the fires has now reached 106 with about 1,300 missing.

It is likely to take several more days for authorities to reach an accurate figure for the number who died, Hawaii's Governor Josh Green has said.

"We offer our deepest condolences to the families who are beginning to receive notifications about their loved ones," said Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen. "As a community, we offer our prayers of comfort in this most difficult time."

He said authorities have identified three other individuals, whose next of kin would be informed.

US President Joe Biden has said he will travel to Hawaii "as soon as he can" amid criticism of his government's response.

The president said on Tuesday he had not yet visited because of concerns that doing so would divert resources and attention from the humanitarian response. Jill Biden will accompany him to Hawaii, he said.

"I don't want to get in the way. I've been to too many disaster areas," Biden said. "I want to be sure we don't disrupt ongoing recovery efforts."

He said that "all available federal assets" in the region would be used for recovery efforts, including the US military and Coast Guard.

Officials in Hawaii have said they expect the death toll to rise in the coming days as more bodies are recovered from the worst hit parts of Maui. Only 25% of the affected area has so far been searched for human remains.

Approximately 80% of Lahaina - a town of about 12,000 residents - was destroyed in the blaze.

(BBC)