Death toll in Hawaii wildfire rises to 89

by IANS |

Honolulu, Aug 13 (IANS) Death toll in the devastating hurricane-driven wildfires in US state of Hawaii's Maui Island rose to 89, a government official said.

According to Hawaii Governor Josh Green, the death toll was 80 on Saturday morning, Xinhua news agency reported.

The latest death toll of 89 has made the wildfire the deadliest one in more than a century in modern US history, surpassing the Camp Fire that erupted on November 8, 2018 in California and killed at least 85 people.

Green warned at a news conference on Wednesday afternoon that the number will continue to rise as "hard work is going on."

Deadly wildfires have nearly completely destroyed the historic town of Lahaina, a popular tourist spot and once the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii.