Puerto Rico corrects Hurricane Maria death toll to 20 times its original estimate

Hurricane Maria damage in Puerto Rico.
(Image credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Puerto Rico's government is finally acknowledging a Hurricane Maria death toll that's far closer to reality.

In the wake of last year's devastating storm, Puerto Rico said that only an estimated 64 deaths had resulted, despite every other calculation being far larger. A government report published Thursday bumps that number more than 20 times higher to 1,427 fatalities — and that's only deaths directly related to Maria's damage.

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Kathryn Krawczyk

Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.