MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Death toll from Hurricane Maria on the territory of Puerto Rico has increased to 12 people, media reported on Friday.
On Wednesday, Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossell said that at least one person had been killed in the storm.
Univision network reported Friday, citing the head of Toa Baja municipality, Bernardo Marquez, that eight other people drowned in that area. Another three people died in a mudslide in Utuado municipality, according to the same broadcaster citing local authorities.
Hurricane Maria made landfall on Puerto Rico on Wednesday prompting an island-wide blackout. On Thursday, the US National Hurricane Center said that the island was severely flooded because of the hurricane.
Maria is the fourth strong hurricane recorded in the Atlantic basin this year. It comes nearly a week after Hurricane Irma devastated numerous Caribbean islands and the southeast portion of the United States, killing dozens of people.