2023-08-12 09:52:52
At least 80 people died, according to a new report on Saturday, during the fire which ravaged the island of Maui, in the American archipelago of Hawaii. Justice has opened an investigation into the management of the crisis by the authorities, questioned by residents.
“The death toll is 80,” Maui County said in a new tally on Saturday, saying some 1,418 people had been evacuated to shelters. The balance sheet should increase further.
>> Read again: The fires in Hawaii have already killed 67 people, a toll that should increase
Survivors have begun to return to Lahaina, the former capital of the kingdom of Hawaii almost razed by the flames, haggard in front of their city reduced to ashes and full of questions.
Maui suffered numerous power outages during the crisis, and the 911 emergency number stopped working in parts of the island.
Controversial context
The existence of multiple simultaneous fires also divided the efforts of firefighters and, in Lahaina, dozens of residents taken aback had to throw themselves into the sea to escape the flames, according to the Coast Guard.
In this controversial context, the General Counsel of the American State of the Pacific, Anne Lopez, opened an investigation into the management of the crisis: “My services are committed to understanding the decisions that were made before and during the fires. and to share the results of this audit with the public,” she said in a statement.
Fire warning sirens were not activated, a spokesperson for the agency responsible for crisis management in Hawaii confirmed to CNN. He said alerts had been sent to residents’ cell phones and broadcast on radio and television.
One of the worst disasters
The disaster is one of the deadliest disasters in the archipelago’s recent history. The death toll exceeds that of the 1960 tsunami which killed 61 people on the island of Hawaii. “Undoubtedly there will be more deaths,” Governor Josh Green warned. Search and rescue teams from Honolulu, accompanied by dogs have arrived in Maui, the county said.
County Police Chief John Pelletier said Thursday that up to 1,000 people could be missing. This does not mean that they are officially missing or dead, he stressed, however.
afp/asch
1691834820
#Hawaii #fire #death #toll #rises #investigation #open