Two more Filipinos have been added to the list of fatalities in the ongoing search and recovery operation following the wildfires that ravaged the resort town of Lahaina in Hawaii.
In a Facebook post on August 20, Edna Sagudang confirmed that her mother, Conchita, and her elder brother, Danilo, both from the province of Abra, were identified by forensic experts.
Sagudang said her mother and elder brother died while attempting to escape the wildfire in the Paunau Subdivision in Lahaina.
She expressed gratitude to her friends and family who participated in the search for her mother and brother when they were initially reported missing.
“My sister Evelyn and I want to send out a big Mahalo to everyone, especially family and friends, who put in their time and effort to help look for them and have sent us love and prayers,” she said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs earlier said a 79-year-old Filipino was among the over 100 fatalities in the wildfires.
The death toll has now reached 114, with the Maui Coroner’s Office establishing a command post to process the bodies found.
The American Red Cross has initiated a mass fatality operation to expedite the identification of the bodies recovered.
There are still around 1,000 individuals missing, and authorities do not yet have a definitive list of how many are unaccounted for.
However, they are hopeful that the number of missing will decrease as power lines and communication are gradually restored in the area.
Over the weekend, the Philippine Consulate General described the difficulty in identifying the people who died in the wildfires that ripped through the island of Maui in Hawaii.
Consul General Emil Fernandez said authorities had to get DNA samples from people who said their relatives were still missing from the fires.
“A big part of the operations is gathering the remains and painstakingly identifying them kasi ito ay burnt victims,” Fernandez said in a radio interview.
“Unless you have DNA samples, if (the subject) doesn’t have a fingerprint or dental (records)… you have to rely on their DNA. That is why they are soliciting DNA from those who are missing loved ones,” he added.