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| The devastating reality behind surge in deaths on popular Hawaiian island |
| 2025-08-23 |
| [DM] Deaths in one of the world's most popular tourist destinations surged in 2023, and scientists have finally figured out why. In August 2023, six wildfires ripped through Hawaii's island of Maui, including the resort town of Lāhainā, killing 102 people, destroying almost 3,000 buildings and burning more than 2,000 acres. Researchers at NYU Grossman calculated excess deaths for the fires, or how many more people died in Maui than what's expected under normal circumstances, by comparing the five-year average for deaths in August to the number recorded in the same month in 2023. Overall, they said there was a 67 percent spike in excess deaths in that month, or 86 more fatalities than expected, with 205 deaths recorded compared to the 123 expected. In the week of August 19, they found that deaths spiked 367 percent alone, with 67 more deaths than expected. Researchers said the rise was likely due to burns and asphyxiation from the fires, but also attributed the increase to overstretched emergency services and blocked roads leading to problems reaching patients. They added that there may have been a drop in deaths from other causes, such as car crashes, at the time of the fires. Their study also only considered one month, whereas the official toll may have included fatalities that occurred later. Michelle Nakatsuka, a medical student who led the study, said: 'Wildfires can cause a measurable, population-wide increase in mortality, beyond what is captured in official counts. |
| Posted by:Skidmark |
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| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2025-08-23 13:50 |
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| Posted by: ed in texas 2025-08-23 08:41 |
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| Posted by: NN2N1 2025-08-23 07:00 |