Filipinos believed among missing in Maui fires

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) could not immediately confirm if there are Filipino casualties amid the wildfires in Maui, but the Maui Filipino Chamber of Commerce (MFCC) reported that hundreds of Filipinos are missing.

The destructive wildfires in the Hawaiian island of Maui have left more than 1,000 missing.

“The number of casualties is still going up. We don’t know who they are yet, so search and rescue is still ongoing,” MFCC director Kit Zulueta Furukawa told GMA Integrated News on Saturday.

Furukawa added that there are no official reports on how many Filipinos were affected by the wildfires.

“The last news we had was on Friday when we talked to the Consul General there… No Filipinos were affected because most Filipinos in Hawaii are not in Maui,” DFA Undersecretary Eduardo Jose de Vega said in an interview over dzBB.

The Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu said concerned families and Filipinos affected by the wildfires may get in touch with the consulate through its emergency hotline (+1 808 253 9466), email ([email protected]), or Facebook page.

The United States Department of Defense said a Navy maritime strike squadron has deployed two MH-60R Seahawk helicopters to the region to assist with the US Coast Guard’s search and recovery efforts.

The US Coast Guardsmen from Station Maui have been actively assisting in search and rescue efforts.

The crew aboard a Coast Guard 45-foot response boat based in Maui has also assisted state and local partners in rescuing 14 individuals from the waters off the island’s coast as of early Thursday.

The fast-moving blaze, fueled by strong winds from a nearby hurricane, began in Lahaina on the island of Maui on Aug. 7, leaving 93 people dead and destroying hundreds of structures.