By: Natasha Archary
Maui wildfires death toll climbs to 55, with 1 000 more people still missing, in what is being described as one of Hawaii’s most devastating natural disasters.
The historic town of Lahaina has been completely gutted, with some 1 700 homes burnt to the ground.
Maui mayor, Richard Bissen says it would take billions to rebuild the beautiful tourist attraction.
Dry conditions and strong winds from Hurricane Dora are believed to be the catalyst behind the wildfires that engulfed Maui.
Since the beginning of August, most of Maui has been experiencing abnormally dry conditions, which escalated on Tuesday, 08 August to severe drought levels, making the island more susceptible to wildfires.
On Thursday, 10 August, 53 people were confirmed dead, but the number climbed to 55 in the late evening, after two more bodies were discovered.
The death toll is expected to rise even further as search and rescue operations begin amongst the ash.
More than 11 000 people have been evacuated, and another 2 000 are expected to leave by Friday, 11 August.
Some families had no other option but to dive into the ocean to escape the wildfires that consumed everything in its path within minutes.
Footage on social media shows cars and boats exploding along the harbour.
While officials say it’s too early to tell how many people remain unaccounted for, an estimated 1 000 people are reported missing.
“Those who are unaccounted for have not been presumed dead, because there’s no communication at the moment, it could be that they managed to evacuate to safety, but we have no way of confirming at this stage.”
Cellphone, internet, power and telephone lines are down and this could take weeks to restore.
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