According to an exclusive report from Breitbart News, search crews, following the Maui wildfires, have found over 450 bodies. 

Per the outlet:

Maui search crews have allegedly found over 450 bodies, according to a local resident who is leading a grassroots relief effort to aid victims of the fire that decimated the town of Lahaina earlier this month.

The local resident is Dale Hermo-Fernandez. Breitbart's report appears to be based entirely on Hermo-Fernandez's statements. Hermo-Fernandez is said to have "close contacts inside local recovery efforts."

It, however, does not appear that Hermo-Fernandez's claims have been verified, which seems to be the reason why Breitbart uses the word "allegedly."

"The number is over 450"

Hermo-Fernandez told Breitbart that search crews have already found over 450 bodies and that this number is growing rapidly.

"I guarantee you right now, from what has been seen, the number is over 450 and it’s gonna get — it’s gonna get closer to 1,000," Hermo-Fernandez said.

"They’re not giving the number until they toe-tag them and identify them, which is understandable," he continued. "It’s guaranteed in the four hundreds. More than likely you’re going to get to 850 or 900."

Hermo-Fernandez went on to claim that roughly 40% of the bodies being found belong to kids.

Hermo-Fernandez said, "What I’m telling you right now is there’s a lot of kids. There’s a lot. There’s so much. And, that’s the thing right now. The real disaster hasn’t even happened to the fullest."

"There is no hope."

Hermo-Fernandez went on to say that, at the moment, many people still have hope, hope that some of the people still missing - particularly some of the children - will be found. But, Hermo-Fernandez claimed, based on what he has seen, that "the truth of the matter is . . . [that] there is no hope."

Local officials say that 388 people remain missing, but that the number is expected to drop soon.

UPI News reports:

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said the water search for hundreds of people listed as missing more than 20 days after wildfires destroyed the historic Maui island town of Lahaina is near completion and that they expect the number of those unaccounted for to drop to double digits.

Green said to expect a "big update" on Friday, Sept. 1, 2023. It is unclear what this update will entail. But, Green seemed to suggest that it will have something to do with the missing people.

Currently, the death toll from the wildfires stands at 115. This figure, though, is expected to rise as more bodies are identified.