El Salvador is celebrating a ‘miracle from God’ after going 24 hours without a murder
El Salvador, one of the most violent countries in the world, has recorded its first day without a murder for two years.
The event in a nation plagued by gang violence is so rare it has been celebrated as a “miracle from God”.
The last time the country went a full day without any killings was January 22, 2015, according to the Associated Press.
Usually 10 people a day are murdered on average in the tiny Central American country, according to the United Nations.
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Killings peaked at 104 per 100,000 residents in 2015, the highest rate for any country not at war.
The rare murder-free day happened on Wednesday. Up until that point there had already been 99 murders in 2017.
El Salvadorean police could not offer an explanation for why nobody was killed.
The country has been battling its gang problem for several years.
One of the most feared and powerful street gangs is the group known as Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13.
The fearsome gang is known for its murders, gang rape, drug trafficking, extortion and revenge attacks.
Its members are typically distinguishable by their symbolic facial and body tattoos and their hand signals.
MS-13 is thought to have as many as 100,000 members worldwide and the gang is not confined to Central America. Members have even be traced to as far afield as Australia.
