The Bahamian government's official count now stands at 50, but that does not include bodies that teams found on Great Abaco on Monday, The Washington Post reported.
The official count could rise dramatically, and government officials have declined to say how many deaths remain uncounted, the newspaper reported.
Duane Sands, the Bahamian health minister, confirmed the latest death count to NBC News The official number on Sunday was 44.
Forty-two bodies have been found in Abaco and eight were recovered on Grand Bahama, Anthony Ferguson, commissioner of Royal Bahamas Police Force, told NBC News.
Rescue workers continue to go door to door, while U.S. Coast Guard helicopters were evacuating critically injured residents, the network reported.
The death toll from the Category 5 storm that slammed into the Bahamas last week has varied, but Bahamian officials are proceeding at a cautious pace, refusing to speculate about how many more people were killed.
"I don't know and have been reluctant to put a range of expected deaths out there," Sands told the Post. "But I will say it's likely to be a significant and unimaginable toll."
About the Author