Maui Mayor Richard Bissen revealed 850 people are still missing in the aftermath of the wildfires Maui.
Bissen provided an update in a Facebook video on Monday regarding deceased and missing persons as search and rescue efforts continue. In his video, Bissen said 850 missing persons was a decrease from over 2,000 people who had been initially reported missing.
“There are currently 850 names on the list of missing persons,” Bissen stated. “There is positive news in this number. Because when this process began, the missing person list contained over 2,000 names.
“Early and throughout the duration of the disaster, friends and family have been providing the American Red Cross, the FBI Honolulu, the Maui Police Department, and the Emergency Management Agency names of the unaccounted individuals relating to the Lahaina wildfires,” Bissen said.
After the lists were “combined and refined by the FBI,” it was confirmed 114 people died in the wildfires in Lahaina.
Twenty-seven individuals have so far been identified and 11 families have been notified, Bissen said in his update.
“The FBI and Maui County coroner are working together to identify all the recovered remains,” Bissen explained.
Bissen pointed to the “tireless” efforts of the FBI and Maui Police Department in locating 1,285 people from the missing person’s list.
“The number identified will rise, and the number of missing may decrease,” Bissen explained. “But, there will be daily fluctuations in the numbers as family members are added and removed from the list.”