There are 17 people who remain “unaccounted for” in East Gippsland, the Premier has revealed.

It comes as devastating bushfires sweep the region.

Two deaths have been confirmed so far, but Daniel Andrews warned on Thursday that list could grow.

“It may be that some of those people are safe, but we do hold very significant fears for the welfare of anybody who is missing at this time,” he said.

And the threat is far from from over.

The Premier took the unprecedented step of declaring an official state of disaster in several regions, giving the government unprecedented power to force evacuations