Two weeks after the deadly wildfires that ravaged the Hawaiian island of Maui, authorities in the US state of Maui said Tuesday that they continue to count 1,100 people missing, based on a list compiled by the FBI, which is asking for the help of relatives in the investigation.

The wildfires, the deadliest in a century in the US, have killed at least 115 people, according to the latest official count, which is preliminary.

The tragedy may turn out to be of even greater proportions, with a much heavier toll. After the fire almost wiped the tourist town of Lahaina (population 12,000) off the map, the names of thousands of missing people appear on social networking sites or in the files of various agencies — the police, the Red Cross, fire shelters, etc.

The FBI, the federal police, is now trying to consolidate the data.

The goal is “to be able to determine how many and who are truly still missing,” Special Agent Stephen Merrill told the press. After studying the lists, federal police count “1,100” missing, he added.

The number is likely to “increase,” he added, as the FBI “still gathers additional data.”

The FBI launched special phone number and encouraged relatives of missing persons to contact him.

“We really need the public’s help,” Mr. Merrill explained, explaining that some of the missing are listed only by their first names on online lists.

In these cases, more information, such as surnames and dates of birth, may help police identify some or confirm that others have gone missing.

The FBI has also sent agents to collect DNA samples from family members of missing persons who cannot go to Maui, wherever they are. As the identification of the corpses found in the apocaides is from difficult to impossible without this genetic material.

Of the 115 victims, only 27 have been identified as this stage.

But only 104 samples have been collected and the authorities are struggling to dispel any hesitation. “The DNA profiles will not remain in the files of the FBI” or local police, Maui County District Attorney Andrew Martin guaranteed. “The only reason they will be used will be to identify missing persons,” he added.