Maui fire: First victims identified as death toll reaches 106

The first names of people killed by wildfires in Maui have been released by officials, one week after at least 106 people died on the Hawaiian island.

The catastrophic fire, which destroyed the historic town of Lahaina within hours, has been followed by a slow and gruelling search for victims.

Twenty sniffer dogs trained to detect bodies have led teams on a block-by-block search of the wreckage, a 5sq mile (13sq km) area now filled with twisted metal and other debris.

Another 20 canine teams are expected to join the search, said Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) Administrator Deanne Criswell on Wednesday.

As of Tuesday evening, 27% of the disaster site had been searched.

Governor Josh Green says the number of dead could climb significantly and even double over the next 10 days.

Thirty specialists from federal mortuary teams are already in Maui and will soon be joined by more from the US defence department.

Source: BBC News