More than 1,000 people have been reported missing in a California wildfire which has destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 71, local officials have said.
The death toll rose from 63 on Friday, eight days after the Camp Fire broke out in northern California.
However, the sharp increase in the missing list – from 631 to 1,011 in 24 hours – may not be accurate.
Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said it was possible it contained duplications.
“I want you to understand that this is a dynamic list,” he told reporters.
“The information I am providing you is raw data and we find there is the likely possibility that the list contains duplicate names.”
Authorities have also warned that some of those on the list may be fine but unaware people are trying to find them, or unable to call. However, there could also be people among the dead who no-one has yet realised are missing.
The fire – the deadliest in the state’s history – has destroyed 142,000 acres (57,000 ha), including most of the town of Paradise, home to 27,000 people.
Rescue workers, aided by cadaver dogs, were continuing to comb what little remained of the town on Friday.
In total, some 47,000 people have been told to evacuate, with those who have fled the fire being houses in emergency shelters, as well as with friends and family, while others are camping.
President Donald Trump is due to travel to California on Saturday to survey the damage and meet those affected.
What’s the latest on the firefighting operation?
The California Fire Department says it has now contained about 50% of the Camp Fire blaze.
Officials say they do not expect to fully contain the blaze until the end of the month.
They are also battling several other fires, including the Morgan Fire in Contra Costa County, near San Francisco, the Woolsey Fire in Ventura County near Los Angeles and the smaller Hill Fire, also in Ventura County.
Three more people have also died in the Woolsey Fire.
The worst-hit area is Paradise, with officials saying it will need a “total rebuild” job that will take several years.
Brock Long, administrator of Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), said the damage to Paradise was “one of the worst disasters” he had ever seen.
Military troops are assisting forensics teams and cadaver dogs as they continue to search for human remains.
Seven more bodies were found in the town on Friday, the sheriff’s office confirmed, while an eighth was found in Magalia, just to the north.
Two of the victims were named as Paula and Randall Dodge, aged 70 and 67, of Paradise. Three others were identified earlier in the week: Ernest Foss, 65, of Paradise, Jesus Fernandez, 48, of Concow, and Carl Wiley, 77, of Magalia.
Officials have warned the search operation could go on for weeks.
Why are the fires burning?
Officials have not yet confirmed what started any of the blazes, as investigations are continuing.
Several people have already filed a lawsuit against a local power company, alleging that the Camp Fire started when a high-voltage transmission line failed.
Historically, California’s “wildfire season” started in summer and ran into early autumn – but experts have warned that the risk is now year-round.
Low humidity, warm winds, and dry ground after a rain-free month have produced a prime fire-spreading environment.
Source: bbc.com