US President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will travel to Hawaii next week to survey the devastation left in the wake of the deadly wildfires that ravaged the Maui resort town of Lahaina last week, the White House said on Wednesday. Biden on Monday will meet with first responders and survivors, as well as federal, state and local officials, the White House said in a statement. AFP Patrick T. Fallon / AFPThe inferno killed at least 106 people after racing from grasslands outside town into Lahaina last Tuesday and charring a 13-square-km area of town in hours. The fire, which caught residents by surprise, destroyed 2 200 buildings and caused an estimated $5.5 billion in damage, officials said. Up to 20 cadaver dogs have led search teams on a block-by-block search of the ashes.

Source: News 24 August 16, 2023 20:33 UTC