El Salvador murders plummet by over half in 2022 amid gang crackdown

FILE PHOTO: Members of the security forces kick off Christmas Eve with a military operation against drug traffickers where they detained suspected criminals in El Salvador's capital, according to government information as part of the country's controversial attempt to fight criminal gangs, in San Salvador, El Salvador December 24, 2022. REUTERS/Jessica Orellana

SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) - Murders in El Salvador tumbled 56.8% in 2022 amid a widespread crackdown on gang violence, the government said on Tuesday, extending a sharp drop in killings in a nation which for years had one of the world's worst murder rates.

Authorities registered a total of 496 homicides last year, down from 1,147 in 2021, Defense Minister Francis Merino said.