14 August 2023 , 15:02
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As the death toll swiftly rises following the wildfires that ravaged the island of Maui last week, so too does the crime rate in the devastated town of Lāhainā, say locals.
The chaos that ensued as rescue workers and residents scrambled to evacuate thousands and locate hundreds of others paved the way for looting and raping, a local bar owner claims.
"There's some police presence. There's some small military presence. But at night, people are being robbed at gunpoint," Matt Robb, the co-owner of The Dirty Monkey in Lāhainā, told Business Insider India.
"People are raped and pillaged. I mean, they're going through houses," he added.
Residents claim that the authorities aren't doing enough to protect and help Maui citizens (AFP via Getty Images)Robb and his business parter Alen Aivazian said residents are desperate for local leadership, claiming that the authorities already there aren't doing enough to help them.
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"I don't think our government and our leaders at this point know how to handle this or what to do," he said.
Among the most frustrating aspects of their response, he said, was that supply vehicles containing shipments of water, food and first aid items are being rerouted — authorities are reportedly barring access to the areas where help is most needed.
"It's just been really interesting to see how, when you have a full truck of a pallet of water or feminine products or whatever, and you're trying to help people — that you're being turned away," Robb said.
A fight broke out between locals and the police, who blocked off roads leading to Lāhainā (AFP via Getty Images)The butting of heads between locals and government officials has led to violence, too.
Some locals rioted, fighting with police when they closed off roads leading into the town. The residents had wanted to claim their belongings or help with search and rescue and aid efforts but were denied access.
Robb said: "A lot of blood was shed because of the way the streets were closed by the police department."
The police or Maui Mayor Richard Bissen didn't immediately respond to Business Insider India's requests for comment.
The wildfires have been deemed the deadliest in the American state in nearly a century, and the death toll continues to rise. Over 1,000 people remain missing, and at least 93 are dead as of Monday morning.
Thousands of tourists and residents have been displaced, and about 46,000 have been flown off the island at the Kahului Airport since Wednesday, the Hawaiian Tourism Authority announced in a statement on Saturday.
Authorities are currently searching the island with cadaver dogs in an attempt to locate more missing individuals, many of whom are presumed dead.
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