Puerto Rico: Thousands more died from hurricane than official toll, study finds

Estimate of 4,600 deaths in sharp conflict with official toll of 64, and researchers say new evaluation may be an underestimate, too

The landfall of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico last September led to the death of thousands on the island, according to a new study – in sharp conflict with the official government death toll of 64.

The report in the New England Journal of Medicine concludes that as many as 4,600 “excess deaths” occurred in the aftermath of the storm due to failures of medical and other critical infrastructure, and described the official number as “a substantial underestimate”.

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from World news | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2GY2QiA