Maui County officials revealed that hundreds of people are still reported to be missing as a result of the wildfires that ravaged Lahaina.
Officials released an updated list on Thursday with the names of 388 people who have been reported missing and remain unaccounted for. This comes days after Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen reported 850 people had been reported to still be missing.
Police Chief John Pelletier acknowledged in a statement “that once those names come out, it can and will cause pain for folks whose loved ones are listed,” Pelletier said in the statement.
BREAKING NEWS | Officials have released a list of 388 validated names of unaccounted for people in the Lahaina fire disaster. The names are being given out publicly in an effort to help identify anyone who can be accounted for, officials said. https://t.co/XYKd6MOcxJ
— Island News (@KITV4) August 25, 2023
“This is not an easy thing to do, but we want to make sure that we are doing everything we can to make this investigation as complete and thorough as possible.”
The names of the unaccounted and missing people on the list were compiled by the FBI, according to the list from Maui County officials. Names on the list were validated if they were provided with the first and last names of the missing persons and a contact number for the person who reported them missing.
“We’re releasing this list of names today because we know that it will help with the investigation,” Pelletier said.
As of Thursday, officials announced that 1,732 people who had previously been reported missing had been found, according to Reuters.