By — Tracy Wholf Tracy Wholf Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/el-salvador-set-become-deadliest-peace-time-country-world Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter El Salvador set to become deadliest peacetime country in the world World Apr 11, 2015 2:19 PM EST El Salvador is on track to become the deadliest peacetime country in the world. Despite no formal war taking place on its streets, 481 people were murdered in March — roughly 15 murders a day in the country of six million people — which became the deadliest month on record in more than a decade. Already, there have been 73 murders during the first five days of April. Many of the victims were killed as a result of escalating gang violence that is overrunning the country, and the homicides show no sign of subsiding. Should the killings continue, El Salvador could soon surpass Honduras as the deadliest peacetime country in the world. Last fall, PBS NewsHour Weekend traveled to El Salvador to investigate the gang violence, which has been attributed to a breakdown of a truce between gangs and government forces. The rise of gangs in El Salvador has been traced back to their origins in the United States. Watch the report here: By — Tracy Wholf Tracy Wholf Tracy Wholf joined NewsHour Weekend in 2013 as an associate producer and frequently appears on the show as a correspondent covering environmental, educational and cultural stories. She previously worked as a producer and researcher for the TV news magazine program Dan Rather Reports where she earned her first Emmy nomination for a story about human rights issues in Afghanistan. Prior to working in journalism, Tracy spent 10 years as a musical theater performer and danced with the Las Vegas company of “Mamma Mia!” for a year. She is an alumnus of Northwestern University and Columbia University. @TWholf
El Salvador is on track to become the deadliest peacetime country in the world. Despite no formal war taking place on its streets, 481 people were murdered in March — roughly 15 murders a day in the country of six million people — which became the deadliest month on record in more than a decade. Already, there have been 73 murders during the first five days of April. Many of the victims were killed as a result of escalating gang violence that is overrunning the country, and the homicides show no sign of subsiding. Should the killings continue, El Salvador could soon surpass Honduras as the deadliest peacetime country in the world. Last fall, PBS NewsHour Weekend traveled to El Salvador to investigate the gang violence, which has been attributed to a breakdown of a truce between gangs and government forces. The rise of gangs in El Salvador has been traced back to their origins in the United States. Watch the report here: