Puerto Rico faces murder increase in hurricane aftermath

The Associated Press

6 years ago

A forensic worker lifts a a body at a crime scene, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018 . As the island struggles to recover from Hurricane Maria, it is facing one of the biggest spikes in violent crime in nearly a decade amid a widespread power outage, severe unemployment and an increase in police absences. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti)

A forensic worker photographs a crime scene where a man was found fatally shot, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018. Thirty-two people have been slain in Puerto Rico in the first 11 days of the year, double the number killed over the same period in 2017. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti)

Relatives comfort each other as the body of a family member is removed at an early morning crime scene, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti)

CAROLINA, Puerto Rico — Officials say 32 people have been slain in hurricane-battered Puerto Rico in the first 11 days of the year, double the number killed over the same period in 2017.

If the surge proves to be more than just a temporary blip, January could be the most homicidal month on the island in at least two years, adding a dangerous new element to the island’s recovery from Hurricane Maria, its worst disaster in decades.

While the number of homicides did not immediately spike in the weeks after the hurricane struck on Sept. 20, police and independent experts say many killings appear at least partly related to its aftereffects.