Hawaii Officials Seek Help In Identifying Victims

Hawaii Officials Seek Help In Identifying

Officials in Hawaii have urged residents to submit DNA samples to help in the identification of human remains found in the ashes of a fast-moving wildfire on the island of Maui that killed at least 115 people earlier this month.

According to authorities, at least 1,100 people are still missing, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) seeking family members’ help in identifying the remains of the dead.

Special Agent Steven Merrill told reporters on Tuesday, that the number of missing people was likely to rise.

Investigators acknowledged the possibility that not all of the remains of victims from the fire that started on August 8 on Maui will ever be found.

The tourist town of Lahaina, home to 12,000 people, was all but wiped off the map, with thousands of missing people initially appearing on lists maintained by various organisations, including the police, Red Cross and shelters.
Aljazeera