(FILE PHOTO) In this file photo taken on September 21, 2017 a man walks past destroyed homes in Catano, Puerto Rico, on September 21, 2017. AFP / HECTOR RETAMAL
Washington: Hurricane Maria killed 4,600 people in Puerto Rico - more than 70 times the official death toll of 64 - according to estimates in a Harvard University-funded study published on Tuesday.
The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, surveyed 3,299 random households across the US Caribbean territory and used their answers to estimate the total number of people killed as a result of the hurricane.
Researchers asked the participants about displacement, infrastructure loss and causes of death in the aftermath of the hurricane. Their answers were then compared to official rates for the same period in 2016.
In September 2017, the powerful Category 4 storm wiped out electricity on the island and cut off many residents from basic health care and other services.
The official death toll stands at 64, though the island's government announced a review in December after reports that a much higher number of people had died as a result of the storm.
The devastation caused by Hurricane Maria was followed by serious economic struggles for Puerto Rico, dpa reported.
The cost of the damage caused by the storm was estimated at 95 billion dollars, or about 150 per cent of Puerto Rico's gross domestic product.
