Bronx Borough President Issues Statement on Death Toll in Hurricane Maria

BRONX, New York, May 29 -- Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. issued the following statement on a Harvard report on the death toll in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria:

"The new study released by the Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center makes it clear that the official story regarding the devastation Puerto Rico faced in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria is far from the truth, if not an outright fabrication.

"A death toll of nearly 5,000 Puerto Ricans cannot be squared with the official count of just 64.

"The situation on the ground in Puerto Rico is far worse than the Trump administration has been willing to admit. This president cannot be allowed to lie and pretend he has delivered for the island. He has failed, and continues to fail, his fellow American citizens,"