County Mayor Says 850 Still Missing After Maui Fires

Some 850 people are still missing after the devastating wildfires in Maui, County Mayor Richard Bissen has said.

Over 1,200 people who had been on the list of those missing have been found safe, Mr Bissen said on Monday, warning numbers are expected to fluctuate.

One hundred and fourteen people are confirmed to have died.

President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit the island for the first time since the deadly fires swept through earlier this month.

The blazes destroyed most of the historic Maui town of Lahaina and the fires are now considered the worst natural disaster in Hawaii state history.

“Our lives have changed forever and things will not be the same,” Mr Bissen said in a video update posted to social media. “What will be the same is the way we care for each other as we grieve and go through this together.”

To date, 27 of the deceased have been identified and 11 families had been notified, he said.

Details of who the victims are have begun to emerge in recent days – they so far include an avid musician, and loving grandmothers and fathers.