The death toll from the fire that nearly leveled a town on the island of Maui has passed 100 dead. This was announced by the governor of the American archipelago of Hawaii, Josh Green. "Now there are 101 lives that have been lost," Green said in a televised address, adding that rescuers have so far covered just over a quarter of the search area they have to cover.

Hundreds still missing in the deadliest fire in more than a century in the United States. The city of Lahaina, on the west coast of Maui, was almost entirely engulfed in flames: thousands of buildings were destroyed and many reduced to a mere pile of ashes.

In the former capital of the kingdom of Hawaii, which had 12,000 inhabitants, the authorities have already warned that the human toll of the fires could increase considerably in the coming days. Relatives of the missing people are being encouraged to undergo DNA tests to help identify the bodies, which are often unrecognizable.

US President Joe Biden, criticized for a response deemed "insufficient", said he will travel "as soon as possible" to Hawaii: «My wife Jill and I will go as soon as possible, we don't want to hinder relief efforts. I spoke to the governor several times and signed the state of emergency,” he said.

(Unioneonline/L)

© Riproduzione riservata