United States: Maui rescuers search 25 per cent of area as toll mounts to 99

Burnt cars seen amidst a destroyed neighborhood. Pic/AP

The number of deaths caused by the Maui wildfires stood at 99 on Monday, a figure that is likely to increase as search crews comb neighborhoods where flames moved as fast as a mile a minute. The blazes that consumed most of the historic town of Lahaina are already the deadliest in the US in more than a century. The cause was under investigation.

Gov. Josh Green said the search will take time and asked for space to do it properly. "For those people who have walked into Lahaina because they really wanted to see, know that they're very likely walking on iwi," he said at a news conference on Maui, using the Hawaiian word for "bones". Searchers are likely to find the remains of 10 to 20 people per day.

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