Puerto Rico hurricane death toll may be over 1,000: report

The official number of hurricane-related deaths in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria may actually be over 1,000, according to a data investigation by The New York Times. 

While only 62 deaths have been officially recorded as resulting from the powerful storm, an analysis of the territory’s mortality data saw a massive increase in deaths since the hurricane hit land. 

There were 1,052 more deaths between the storm’s landfall on Sept. 20 and Oct. 31 than the average number of deaths over the past two years, suggesting the actual death toll was far higher than reported, according to the Times report.

{mosads}

The director of Puerto Rico’s demographic registry told the Times that the average number of deaths daily in the territory was 82 before the hurricane hit, but is now 118. The Times reported that both numbers have increased by one since the director’s statement. 

With data still being collected for October due to delays related to the hurricane, more deaths from the storm will likely be reported. 

The Puerto Rican government reported in late October that 911 people had died of “natural causes” since Maria and that none of the deaths were related to the hurricane, but the bodies were cremated before medical examiners could examine them to verify the causes of death.