The death toll from the fires in Hawaii rose to 67 this Friday.conversion deadliest disaster in state history, according to CNN. In a message posted on the website of Maui County, which suffered the most from the fires, officials confirmed the new figure and warned that the fire that ravaged the town of Lahaina was not yet under control.
CNN recalled that the new death toll put the disaster ahead of the 1960 tsunami that killed 61 people in the town of Hilo, but is still a long way from the 1946 tsunami that killed 158 before the region became a US state.
In an interview with this station on Friday afternoon, Hawaii Governor Josh Green admitted: It may still be more than a week before local authorities comb through the history of Lahaina’s charred remains. to get an idea of the total number of victims.
More than 11,000 people are still without power in the state this Friday, according to PowerOutage.us, so communication with most of the island remains complex. On Thursday, US President Joe Biden declared the situation a disaster. It has ordered federal aid to support state and local rescue efforts in Hawaii and areas affected by the wildfires that began last Tuesday. Biden also ordered US National Guard and US Third Fleet personnel in Hawaii to do everything possible to assist local authorities.
The images show areas that were completely destroyed, and the Civil Air Patrol detailed that about 300 structures were affected by the fire. The severe drought affecting the islands in recent months and strong winds from Hurricane Dora caused the flames to spread much faster, making extinguishing efforts more difficult, according to local officials.