The death toll from the wildfires in Hawaii rises to 89

MADRID, 13 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The governor of Hawaii, Josh Green, has reported this Saturday that the death toll from the forest fires on the island of Maui has risen to 89, but that the number is still expected to increase in the future.

These fires are the "biggest natural disaster that Hawaii has ever experienced," the governor said in a conference picked up by CNN.

That figure means, in effect, that the wildfires are officially Hawaii's deadliest natural disaster in state history, surpassing the 61 confirmed deaths from a tsunami in 1960. Before Hawaii became a state in 1959, however, , in 1946 the islands experienced a devastating tsunami that killed 158 people.

"Over the next few days, as we characterize how many people we have lost (and how many will come) to our community... in the short term it will be heartbreaking and in the long term people will need mental health care services and in the very long term we will rebuild together," Green said.

On the other hand, the governor has also estimated that the material losses are close to six billion dollars (about 5.5 billion euros), since according to what he has said, "if you look at what has been seen now in the west of Maui, 2,200 structures have been destroyed or damaged. 86 percent are residential."

According to local authorities, more than 14,000 people were evacuated from the island of Maui during the day on Wednesday, while about 14,500 were transferred to other nearby islands throughout Friday, CNN has collected.

Richard Bissen, the mayor of Lahaina, the former capital of the archipelago and one of the most touristic areas in Hawaii, said the day before that 80 percent of the city had been completely destroyed by the flames, fanned by Hurricane Dora.

For the moment, the authorities have confirmed that the flames in the Lahaina area are up to 85 percent controlled in fires that, according to experts, can affect not only the health of residents, but also to your mental health.