Death Toll From Hawaii Wildfires Hits 93

On Saturday, the Maui County aughorities said that the death toll from the Maui wildfires in U.S. state of Hawaii reached 93.

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The death toll was 89 earlier in the day. Officials believe the current fire could end up being the deadliest disaster in the country’s history.

Fuelled by a dry summer and strong winds from a passing hurricane, wildfires on Maui are raging through dry brush that covers the island and firefighting efforts may be hampered by limited staff and equipment.

On Saturday afternoon, Hawaii Governor Josh Green warned that the death toll would continue to increase as more victims were discovered.

On Friday afternoon, Green conceded that it may still be more than a week before local authorities can clear the charred remains of historic Lahaina to get an idea of the total number of victims.

When he made these statements, over 11,000 people were still without electricity in the state, so communications with much of the island continued to be complex.

The new death toll puts the ongoing fire ahead of the 1960 tsunami that killed 61 people in the town of Hilo. Previously, before becoming a state in the United States, Hawaii was hit by a tsunami in 1946 that left 158 dead.

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