World

Bahamas defends response amid criticism

September 10, 2019 6:56 am

Bahamian officials have defended their response to Hurricane Dorian after it devastated parts of the island chain last week, killing at least 45 people.

Residents on the Abaco Islands have accused the government of failing to provide assistance and prevent looting.

Officials have denied covering up the number of deaths. The toll is likely to rise as hundreds, possibly thousands, of people are still missing.

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Some 70,000 people were in need of food and shelter, the United Nations said.

Thousands of residents from the hardest-hit areas in the Abacos have been sent to the country’s capital, Nassau, where authorities say they may have to use tents or containers to house the victims.