Hawaii wildfires: Aerial images show devastation in Maui as death toll reaches 99
Aerial photos show the devastation caused by wildfires in Maui, Hawaii, which have claimed the lives of 99 people so far.
Aerial photos and footage show the scene of utter devastation after wildfires ravaged the Hawaiian island of Maui, where the death toll has reached at least 99.
The fires, fuelled by dry conditions and 60mph winds, destroyed the town of Lahaina, leaving thousands of people homeless.
The number of dead is expected to rise further, with many more people suffering injuries including burns and smoke inhalation.
Josh Green, the governor of Hawaii, warned that recovery teams were expected to find 10 to 20 more bodies each day.
It is already the deadliest wildfire in the US in more than a century.
Green said that about 1,300 people were missing and that it would take up to 10 days to know the full death toll.
"There is nothing to see except full devastation," he told CBS.
Watch: Drone footage captures scale of destruction in Lahaina
Tourists and locals were forced to evacuate – with reports of people fleeing into the sea – and are now in emergency shelters, with some camping in the airport waiting for flights home.
Vixay Phonxaylinkham, a tourist from Fresno, California, told Reuters he was trapped in a rental car with his wife and children as the fires approached, forcing the family to abandon the vehicle and take refuge in the water, hanging on to pieces of wood.
He said: "We floated around four hours. It was a vacation that turned into a nightmare. I heard explosions everywhere, I heard screaming, and some people didn't make it. I feel so sad."
Read more on the devastation in Hawaii:
Hawaii wildfires: 'Jump in the water during a hurricane, or burn' - locals say it was a miracle they survived (Sky News, 3-min read)
How did the Hawaii wildfires start? (Independent, 3-min read)
Hawaiians dive into sea to escape ‘apocalyptic’ wildfires (The Telegraph, 3-min read)
Hawaiian officials have described the situation as the worst natural disaster in the state's history – surpassing that of 1960, when a tsunami killed 61 people on the Big Island of Hawaii.