Lahaina, Hawaii - US officials said the search for victims continues two and a half weeks after the devastating wildfires on Maui, and the number of victims is expected to rise.

Maui police chief John Pelletier said in a press conference on Friday that due to the intensity of the blaze, identifying remains has proven very difficult, he said. Divers were also searching the coastal waters for remains.

The official death toll for the wildfires that tore through Hawaii is at least 115 people.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Maui county officials released a list of 388 people still unaccounted for after the fires.

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At least 100 people were reported safe shortly after the publication of the list, said Steven Merrill from the FBI Honolulu office. This information is still to be verified, he added.

The authorities continue to hope for information from the public to help their investigation.

Up to 1,732 people were reported missing at times, before being later found safe.

The wildfires broke out in several places on Maui and the neighboring island of Hawaii.

The historic coastal town of Lahaina on Maui, which had 13,000 inhabitants before the disaster, was hit particularly hard.

More than 2,200 buildings were partially or completely burnt down. The property damage is estimated at more than $5.5 billion.