Authorities in Hawaii have adjusted the death toll from the deadly Maui wildfires to at least 97 people.
Officials previously said they believed at least 115 people died in the fire, but further tests showed they had several DNA samples from some of the victims.
The number of those missing also decreased from 41 to 31, Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said.
John Byrd, laboratory director with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, said during a news conference Friday afternoon that the current death toll should be considered a minimum because the toll could rise.
Determining the death toll from the Aug. 8 wildfire in Lahaina is extremely complicated because of the damage caused by the fire and the chaos as people tried to escape, officials said.
A man walks through debris from a wildfire on Aug. 11, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaii, nearly a month after the deadliest US wildfire in more than a century.AP
People watch as smoke and flames fill the air from a raging wildfire on Front Street in downtown Lahaina, Maui on August 8, 2023.AP
In some cases, animal corpses were accidentally collected together with human corpses.
So far, 74 of those who died have been positively identified, Pelletier said.
The Lahaina Fire is the deadliest in the US in more than a century.
Caught in a hellish scene, some residents died in their cars, while others jumped into the ocean or tried to run for safety. The fire reduced most of the historic city to ashes.
A missing flyer for Lahaina, Hawaii, residents is posted on a bulletin board at Maui’s King’s Cathedral in Kahului, Hawaii, on Aug. 19, 2023.AP
An aerial view shows the effects of a devastating forest fire in Lahaina, Hawaii, on August 22, 2023.AP
“When there’s a fire, people run together, they gather together,” said Dr. Jeremy Stuelpnagel, Maui County medical coroner.
“They held each other in those moments. Some of them even hold pets.” Because of this, some bodies arrived mixed up.
Byrd said the initial death toll was too high for a number of reasons, adding that the current lower number is a “normal and natural” progression of long-term forensic investigations.
“We look at the body bags that come in and we do an initial inventory and we assess how many people are represented there,” he said.
“When you do the first calculation of everything that has come in, the number tends to be too high because when you start doing more analysis and checking, you realize that actually you have two bags that are the same person or you have two bags that are two people that are the same but you do not realize it.”
“The numbers started a little too high on the morgue side and eventually finished until at some point it was going to be the last exact number. I would say we’re not there yet,” Byrd said.
A man looks at the effects of a wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii, Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023.AP
Only people who have a missing persons report filed for them with the Maui Police Department are on the verified missing list, Pelletier said.
If a missing person’s report isn’t filed for someone more than five weeks after the fire, then the person may not actually be missing, the chief said.
Stuelpnagel isn’t supposed to start his new role until October. But he pushed the start date and arrived in Maui from New York City shortly after the fire. Until he arrives, Maui’s medical examiner duties are shared with other counties.
A boy walks through the debris of a fire on August 10, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaii.AP
Fires are seen spreading in Kihei, Hawaii on August 9, 2023, during the Maui wildfire.AP
“When this happens it’s time to drop everything and come here,” he said.
Stuelpnagel said people conducting the identification process are trying to “reunite people to own them as whole as they can” before the remains are returned to loved ones.
The work to reunite fire victims with families involves more than DNA testing, officials said.
Anthropologists are helping, and officials are gathering clues from dental work and medical devices such as pacemakers when possible.
The authorities expressed relief when they learned the number of victims and those who have not yet been found in the forest fire.
“For the first time … we legally have an opportunity to identify every person we’ve lost and reunite them with their families,” Pelletier said. “So in the midst of all this tragedy, there’s a little ray of hope there and that’s really amazing.”
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
