Puerto Rican authorities raised the death toll from Hurricane Maria to 48 on Saturday, an increase of three.
The deaths appear to be attributed to an inability to get medical treatment, Puerto Rican Secretary of Public Security Hector Pesquera told the Associated Press.
One of the deaths occurred because someone couldn’t get dialysis treatment due to widespread power outages, another because they couldn’t get treatment for respiratory problems, and a third due to a heart attack and couldn’t get treatment.
Puerto Rico’s government has said that 85 percent of the island is still without power since the hurricane hit on Sept. 20.
Power outages aren’t the only serious problem facing the island, as more than 35 percent of the residents of the U.S. territory don’t have safe drinking water, according to CNN.
CNN reported that water authorities pumped water from a federal hazardous waste Superfund site – something which the EPA has advised against doing.
