I am at least 55 the victims of the set fire which hit the island of Maui, at Hawaii, and the number is set to increase “very significantly”. It is to announce it Josh Green, governor of the islands. “In 1960, 61 people died when a big wave swept through the Big Island. This time, the total casualties are very likely to far exceed this number,” the official said. Most of the dead people were located at Lahainahistoric city on the west coast of the island which, according to local authorities, was “destroyedfrom the flames. “It’s like she’s been hit by one bomba”, he said Greencommenting on the continuously updated figures: they are beyond 1,770 buildings destroyed. Statehood was declared throughout the island emergency. People who are currently unreachable are mille.
Quasi 15 miles tourists they have already left Maui. Yesterday – August 10 – 25 shuttle buses transported more than 1,200 visitors from area hotels to Kahului airport. Officials specify that visitors who wish to leave the island must book a flight with an airline to Honolulu and then continue on to the mainland in the United States. Even the Farnesina is working to repatriate Italian citizens. On Twitter the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, writes that “there are about 60 Italians on the archipelago and we are tracing them”, reassuring that “the US authorities have confirmed to us that there are no compatriots among the victims“.
See also
Fires in Hawaii, tourists flock to the airport to leave the island of Maui – The images
In the meantime, mount the controversy for delays in the evacuation orderAnd. In some testimonies, collected by the international media, the residents of Lahaina tell of having started to flee when the columns of smoke were already visible, explaining that they had not heard any sirens and instead realized they were in danger only when they saw flames or explosions heard nearby. Thomas Leonard, a 70-year-old retired mailman from Lahaina, didn’t realize the fire until he smelled smoke, he told Associated Press. Electricity and cell phone service had both been cut that day, leaving the city with no real-time information about the danger.
Cole Millington is also a Lahaina resident: alla Cnn he said that around 4pm on August 8 he noticed “the huge plume of black smoke” that looked threatening enough to decide to pack up and leave although he hadn’t received yet no warning signals on your devices. “We realized that the city and our street looked like it was on the verge of burning,” he said, “15 minutes later we were running to our cars having taken everything we could take with us. I took my passport, my dog and my truck, and we were pulling out of the driveway” when the alarm went off with the evacuation order.