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At least six people have died after wildfires rampaged through parts of the Hawaiian island of Maui, officials have said.

Three fires, fuelled by the wind, have swept across the town of Lahaina, West Maui, leading to 13 evacuations, mayor Richard Bissen Jr said.

It comes after three residents were left with critical burns after being forced to jump into the ocean, as wildfires affected the popular shopping and dining area known as Font Street.

Posting on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, the Coast Guard said 12 people had been rescued from the water off Lahaina.

The Coast Guard responded to areas where people had fled into the ocean to escape the fire and smoky conditions, the county said in a statement on Tuesday.

The governor of Hawaii, Josh Green, said on Wednesday that “loss of life is expected”.

“We have suffered a terrible disaster in the form of a wildfire that has spread widely as a result of hurricane-force winds in the region and underlying drought conditions,” he said.

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“Maui and the Big Island both experienced significant fires. Much of Lahaina on Maui has been destroyed and hundreds of local families have been displaced.”

At least 20 other patients were taken to Maui Memorial Medical Centre on Tuesday, Speedy Bailey, regional director for air-ambulance company Hawaii Life Flight, said.

Footage posted overnight showed flames affecting numerous buildings in the historic town centre that dates back to the 1700s, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Some blocks of buildings were completely reduced to ash.

“Do NOT go to Lahaina Town,” was posted online by the county, hours before all roads in and out of West Maui’s biggest community were closed to everyone except emergency personnel.

An evacuation shelter was also put in place to avoid people adding to the traffic.

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Bodies of three hostages killed at Nova music festival recovered in Gaza

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Bodies of three hostages killed at Nova music festival recovered in Gaza

The bodies of three hostages have been recovered from Gaza, the IDF has confirmed.

Israel’s chief military spokesman Daniel Hagari said the remains were discovered in an overnight operation carried out by the military and Israeli intelligence agency Shin Bet.

He named the hostages as Itzhak Gelerenter, 56, Amit Buskila, 28, and Shani Louk, 22, who he said were killed at the Nova music festival on 7 October, with their bodies then taken into Gaza by Hamas militants.

“They were celebrating life in the Nova music festival and they were murdered by Hamas,” said Mr Hagari.

He said their families have been notified.

“Our hearts go out to them, to the families at this difficult time. We will leave no stone unturned, we will do everything in our power to find our hostages and bring them home.”

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The military did not give immediate details on where their bodies were found.

Ms Louk’s body was seen face-down in a pick-up truck travelling through Gaza in a video that was shared widely on social media after the hostages were taken.

Her father has said the return of his daughter’s body to her family has been a form of closure.

Nissim Louk told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz his daughter “radiated light, to her and those who surrounded her, and in her death she still does”.

He added: “She is a symbol of the people of Israel, between light and darkness. Her inner and outer beauty that shone for all the world to see is a special one.”

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The Israeli military says it has recovered the body of Shani Louk from Gaza
Image:
The Israeli military says it has recovered the body of Shani Louk from Gaza

In November, the brother of Ms Louk told Sky News of their last phone call as his sister tried to escape Hamas.

Speaking about the video that was circulated online after she was taken, Amit Louk said: “I never thought I was going to be in contact with this type of video, seeing my sister in that brutal position.

“And just in that moment, the whole family just crashed.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the deaths “heartbreaking”, saying: “We will return all of our hostages, both the living and the dead.”

Meanwhile, Professor Hagai Levine, a member of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, has said the recovery of the bodies is a “painful reminder” of those who are still in captivity.

“We do not lose hope. We are preparing for the return of the hostages that are alive,” he added.

The body of Amit Buskila has been found by the Israeli military
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The body of Amit Buskila has been found by the Israeli military

Israel has been operating in the Gaza Strip’s southern city of Rafah, where it says it has intelligence that hostages are being held.

Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and abducted around 250 others in the 7 October attack.

Around half of those have since been freed, most in swaps for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel during a ceasefire in November.

Israel says around 100 hostages are still captive in Gaza, along with the bodies of around 30 more.

Itzhak Gelerenter was murdered by Hamas on 7 October
Image:
Itzhak Gelerenter was murdered by Hamas on 7 October

Israel’s campaign in Gaza since the attack has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials.

Mr Netanyahu has vowed to both eliminate Hamas and bring all the hostages back.

He faces pressure to resign, and the US has threatened to scale back its support over the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Israelis are divided into two main camps: those who want the government to put the war on hold and free the hostages, and others who think the hostages are an unfortunate price to pay for eradicating Hamas.

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Scottie Scheffler: World number one golfer detained by police near PGA Championship course

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Scottie Scheffler: World number one golfer detained by police near PGA Championship course

World number one golfer Scottie Scheffler has been detained and handcuffed by police for reportedly attempting to get around a traffic jam caused by a fatal accident near a course.

Play in the second round of the US PGA Championship at Valhalla golf club in Kentucky was delayed following the incident in which a pedestrian was hit by a shuttle bus, according to Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD).

The 27-year-old was apparently attempting to drive past a police officer when he was stopped.

An unverified video posted online shows one officer leading Scheffler to a patrol car while another says to a camera: “Right now, he’s going to jail, he’s going to jail and there ain’t nothing you can do about it. Period.”

ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington, who witnessed the incident, said on air: “Traffic had been backed up and building.

“Scottie Scheffler tried to enter Valhalla Golf Club using a side median, at which point a police officer instructed him to stop.

“Scheffler attempted to continue to go, the police officer then attached himself to the side of Scheffler’s car.

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“Scheffler stopped the vehicle as he turned into Valhalla Golf Club at the entrance, about 10 to 20 yards from the point at which the police officer first told him to stop.

“At that point the police officer instructed Scheffler to get out of the car.

“He rolled down the window, the police officer grabbed his arm and started pulling at it.

“He reached inside, opened the car door, pulled Scheffler out, pushed him up against the car, immediately placed him in handcuffs.”

A statement released by LMPD earlier, said officers had been called to reports of a collision involving a male pedestrian and a bus at around 5am.

It added: “As a result, the pedestrian received fatal injuries and was pronounced dead on the scene. The LMPD Traffic Unit is investigating.”

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French police shoot dead armed suspect who ‘planned to set fire to synagogue’

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French police shoot dead armed suspect who 'planned to set fire to synagogue'

French police have shot and killed an armed suspect outside of a synagogue, the interior minister has said.

The incident in Rouen, northern France, on Friday morning happened after the individual was intent on setting fire to the town’s synagogue, Gerald Darmanin said.

“I congratulate [national police officers] for their reactivity and their courage,” he added.

According to regional authorities, police rushed toward the man as smoke was rising from the synagogue.

He was carrying a knife and an iron bar when an officer shot him dead. His identity and motive are unclear.

Local broadcaster France 3 reported firefighters were at the scene. A city hall official said shortly before 8am that the fire had been brought under control.

Rouen mayor Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol also said on social media the town is “bruised and in shock”.

He thanked first responders on the scene and said there were “no victims other than the armed individual”.

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The president of France’s Consistoire Central Jewish worshippers body Elie Korchia added police “avoided another anti-Semitic tragedy”.

France has already raised its security level to its highest level ahead of the 2024 Olympics in Paris over conflict in the Middle East, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the threat of terror attacks.

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