Puerto Rican journalists sue over under-reported hurricane death toll

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A Puerto Rican journalists’ organization is suing the island’s Demographic Registry over what it says are under-reported death counts following Hurricane Maria. The Center for Investigative Journalism (CPI) filed the suit Feb 7, arguing that the registry did not provide statistical updates on the death count after the hurricane. The suit cites a right to “public information and high public interest for Puerto Rico."

The official death count from September’s hurricane is 64 people, but multiple analyses over the past few months have found that the actual total is likely to be over 1,000. The lawsuit requests that the department provide an updated database that includes the total number of 2017 deaths, death certificate information since late September, when the hurricane hit, and documents related to burial and cremation requests. 


Puerto Rican journalists sue over under-reported hurricane death toll Puerto Rican Journalists Sue Demographic Registry Over Hurricane María Death Statistics (Latino USA)