Maui wildfire death toll revised downward to 97 after DNA testing, 31 still missing

Hawaii authorities have adjusted the count of casualties resulting from the devastating Maui wildfire, confirming at least 97 fatalities. This figure is notably lower than the previously estimated 115 deaths by the officials. Moreover, the number of individuals reported as missing has decreased from 41 to 31.

In a conversation with CNN, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said that the death toll registered a decline after genetic testing conducted by anthropologists at the Department of Defense.“They were able to make sure we weren’t tragically co-mingling any of the people we lost. For instance, in a car where there might have been several people - at first it might have been thought there were eight people, instead there were five,” Green told CNN.

It has proven exceptionally challengingto come to the precise death toll stemming from the August 8 wildfire in Lahaina due to the extensive damage caused by the fire and the ensuing chaos as people sought to escape, the officials reportedly said.

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Additionally, the inadvertent collection of animal remains alongside human remains has further complicated the process. Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said that the authorities have positively identified 74 of the deceased.

Unprecedented tragedy

The Lahaina wildfire stands as the deadliest fire incident in the United States in over a century. The situation was chaotic, with some residents losing their lives in their vehicles, while others resorted to leaping into the ocean or making desperate attempts to flee.

As a result of people huddling together in dire moments, including holding onto pets, some remains arrived commingled,Dr. Jeremy Stuelpnagel, Maui County physician's coroner reportedly said.

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John Byrd, laboratory director with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, reportedly clarified, "We look at body bags that come in and we do an initial inventory and we assess how many people are represented there,"

He added, "When you do the first tally of all those that have come in, the number tends to be too high because as you begin to do more analysis and examination you realize that actually you've got two bags that were the same person or you have two bags that were the same two people but you didn't realize that."

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Despite the tragedy, authorities expressed a sense of relief at gaining a clearer understanding of the number of casualties and those still unaccounted for in the wildfire."The numbers start a little too high on the morgue side and eventually settles until at some point it's going to be a final accurate number. I would say we're not quite there yet," Byrd said.

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