Mexico: 24,000 homicides in 2010
There were 24,734 homicides in Mexico during 2010, representing a 23 per cent rise compared with the previous year, according to official figures.
A document released by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography revealed that 22 killings occurred for every 100,000 people in Mexico, reported the Associated Press.
The organisation stressed that not all the deaths were related to gang wars and the study contains only preliminary data that still needs to be confirmed in the later stages of the research project.
Among the highlights of the statistics reported by the news agency were that a dozen mayors were killed in 2010 and the US-bordering state Chihuahua had the worst overall death toll, with 4,747 homicides.
A conflict at the Social Rehabilitation Centre for Adults in Ciudad Juarez – known locally as El Cereso – recently left 17 dead, after members of rival gangs had a shootout. They took weapons from the prison guards.
