Maui death toll rises to 106

The devastating wildfires on Maui have left at least 106 people dead, and experts are continuing to work to identify the growing number of victims.

Maui County officials confirmed Tuesday night that the death toll had risen to 106, noting police have identified five victims so far and have released the names of two: Robert Dyckman, 74, and Buddy Jantoc, 79. This comes after mortuary teams — including coroners, pathologists and X-ray technicians — from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) landed in Hawaii on Tuesday to help identify the victims.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D) said Tuesday the death toll includes children and said Monday that crews could find up to “10 to 20 people a day” until the searches end. He also said 27 percent of the area had been searched as of Tuesday.

Crews with search dogs are also rushing to secure the remains of victims ahead of potential bad weather this weekend, Green said.

“I want the rain, ironically, but that’s why we’re racing right now to do all the recovery that we can, because winds or heavy rain in that disaster setting … will make it even harder to get the final determination of who we lost,” he said.

A week after the wildfire that scorched the historic town of Lahaina, Maui residents are still struggling with communications in the area. As of Tuesday, that fire was about 85 percent contained, according to county officials.

Maui County said 2,000 homes and businesses were still without electricity as of Tuesday night after power companies had restored power to about 10,000 homes. The wildfires also contaminated the water supply in many areas as officials have issued an advisory on unsafe water in some parts of Maui. Residents in those areas are encouraged to use bottled water for all drinking, brushing teeth, ice making and food preparation.

President Biden also said Tuesday he and first lady Jill Biden would visit Hawaii “as soon” as they can, noting he does not want to get in the way of recovery efforts.

The Associated Press contributed.