The vacation death toll

Salvadoran media keep a running total of deaths during each of the three major vacation weeks in El Salvador -- Holy Week before Easter, Christmas to New Years, and the August Festivals. Last week's vacation totals as reported in El Faro were:

Deaths caused by --
Traffic accidents 21
Firearms 70
Knives 7
Drowning 5

These totals were similar to the totals for 2004. The week ended with a brazen attack by armed gunmen against a truck carrying small shopkeepers to market. The gunfire which raked the truck killed 4 aboard and wounded 6 others. The attack occurred on the outskirts of the municipality of Apopa. No one has been arrested.

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