San Salvador, January 3 (Prensa Latina) More than 130 people died in El Salvador from December to January 1, 2024, civil protection authorities reported today.
The institution must present this Wednesday the final result of its 2023 year-end plan, although in a balance sheet published the previous day it recorded 1,534 traffic accidents in which 974 people were injured and the number of deaths exceeded 130.
The report stated that the death toll as of January 1 was 134, 118 from traffic accidents, 11 from drowning on beaches and other bodies of water, and five from fires.
The deaths caused by fires were added to the list of fatalities, which reached five, including two minors who died of burns, according to the fire department.
On the other hand, the annual summary of the National Road Safety Observatory (Onasevi) reported that 1,256 deaths were reported during this period, while there were 1,352 in the same period in 2022, indicating that there were 96 fewer fatalities last year
The Minister of Public Works, Romeo Rodríguez, said that although the data showed a decrease in deaths from road accidents, the number was still alarming, which is why vehicle checks are being intensified day by day to reduce this number.
The main causes of traffic accidents are driver distraction, lane crossing, excessive speed and driving under the influence of alcohol. If we compare 2023 to 2022, we would have had 16 percent fewer deaths on the roads during the holiday period from December 23 to January 1, the official said.
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