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Six dead in apparent gang violence at Guatemala football match

Guatemala football match

Six dead in apparent gang violence at Guatemala football match

During battles between armed accused gang members during an indoor football match in Guatemala, at least six people were killed and four more were injured, according to authorities, in the latest mass violence at sporting events in Latin America.

Five people died at the scene of the violence, which occurred Saturday night in Villa Canales, a community in the southeastern suburbs of Guatemala City’s capital, while a sixth died after being brought to a local hospital by firefighters.

According to an inquiry report, the armed attack may have been motivated by “rivalry between antagonistic gangs,” particularly the Barrio 18 and the Mara Salvatrucha, both of which have strongholds in Guatemala and other Central American countries, Mexico, and the United States.

Witnesses said the attackers arrived in a vehicle and that they included at least “four individuals with firearms,” the report stated. The attackers fled after the killings.

According to officials, Guatemalan violence kills over 3,500 people each year, one of the worst rates in Latin America, primarily due to drug trafficking and gang activities.

Violence has erupted at Latin American football stadiums on many occasions this year.

Outside a stadium in Colombia on March 5, there were severe confrontations amongst fans.

On the same night, 26 people were critically hurt in a major riot at a game in Mexico, and the next day, a man was shot dead in a scuffle between football fans in Brazil.