Q: Usage of ''as many as'' We are talking about an airstrike around 1930 wherein the reporting newspapers differed on the count of fatalities. One noted that 22 had died; another/two  claimed 24; yet another claimed 28 whilst two claimed 30, (which were the highest).
Suppose that, I am constrained by space and can't afford to leave a mention about the different figures. So, if I simply write As many as 30 people were killed in the airstrike; does it impress upon the readers that I am not certain of the count and instead, referring to the maximum reported casualty? Is the usage of As many as optimum?

A: A better way of phrasing it might be to use an extra modal expression, as opposed to just the tensed verb were: 

As many as 30 people may have been killed in the airstrike.

This would make it clear that you have reason to believe that it's possibe that up to 30 people have been killed, but also that you don't commit yourself to the truth of this alleged fact.

A: It doesn't work for me because 22 is not as many as 30.
I personally would say, "Between 20 and 30 people were killed in the airstrike"

A: Also, you can say "Around 30 people were killed in the airstrike"
"As many as" has a different usage
