Puerto Rico cites much higher Hurricane Maria death estimate

The Puerto Rican government said in an Economic and Disaster Recovery Plan on Thursday that although it was initially reported that 64 lives were lost in Hurricane Maria last year, the "estimate was later revised to 1,427," the New York Times reports.

The big picture: This is a massive increase from the original number, which was underreported because of data shortfalls, destruction of the island's infrastructure and government inaction. It is thought that many deaths may have gone unreported, particularly from rural areas cut off from medical help.