SAN SALVADOR: At least 14 inmates were killed when violence erupted between two factions of a notorious gang in an El Salvador prison on Saturday, an official said.

The killings happened in Quezaltepeque prison, north of the capital San Salvador, and were linked to an internal dispute involving the Barrio 18 gang, a spokesman for the presidency said.

The deaths underline how gang violence has made El Salvador one of the most dangerous countries in the world.

On Wednesday, police said there were at least 125 murders in just three days, a staggering toll even by El Salvador’s standards.

“These are worrisome numbers. These are Salvadorans who are dying.

Regardless of who is a gang member or not,” National Police chief Mauricio Ramirez told reporters.

There were 3,332 murders between January and June, up from 2,191 a year earlier, government data show.

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2015

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