CARACAS, Venezuela – A non-governmental group that tracks crime in Venezuela says that the homicide rate rose in 2015, putting the country on track to be perhaps the most-violent in the world.
The Venezuelan Violence Observatory estimates that 27,875 killings occurred this year, pushing the homicide rate up to 90 per 100,000 inhabitants. The group says that killings in Venezuela this year surpassed those in Honduras and the country now rivals El Salvador as the world's deadliest.
Last year, the observatory counted 82 killings per 100,000 people. In 1998, the rate was 19 per 100,000.
The report published Monday is based on press reports, victim surveys and officials' comments. Venezuelan authorities generally dispute the group's findings and say the homicide rate is much lower.
The Interior Ministry's press office didn't comment.
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