While people all over the world are enjoying the
New Year's Day celebrations, feelings in Latin America, however, are mixed because of 129 deaths and 1,315 injuries associated with different tragedies.
SOUTH AMERICA
Rodolfo Palomino, director of the Road Police of Colombia, said Friday that during the
New Year's Day celebrations in his country, 36 people died and 45 were injured.
He added that of the 36 deaths, 31 were murder victims and the remaining five were killed
in traffic accidents. Moreover, 45 people were injured while igniting fireworks.
According to Paraguay's National Police, at least 13 people were killed during the celebrations. Worse still, the figure could rise during the weekend. Information provided on Friday by the National Police show that the
majority of the 13 casualties were killed in traffic accidents or by electric shock or suicide.
The police said the number of injured was as high as 233 for different reasons, including
traffic accidents.
In Argentina, authorities have not reported the death toll during the New Year's Day celebrations, but disclosed that the number injured was 766, most of them in traffic and
firework accidents.
CENTRAL AMERICA
Jorge Melendez, director of El Salvador's Civil Protection, said Friday that a total of 19
people died and 96 others were injured during the New Year's Day celebrations in the Central
American country.
Melendez said nine of the casualties died in traffic accidents and eight others were murdered. Of those injured, he said, 41 were injured in passenger bus accidents, and nine adults and another nine children were injured by fireworks.
In Honduras, the National Direction of Criminal Investigation said on Friday that at least 34 people died in different violent occurrences and road accidents. A 9-year-old girl who was hit by a car was among the victims.
In Guatemala, the Guatemalan firefighting authorities said that at least 12 people were
killed and 61 others were injured in different circumstances. Among those killed, seven were
killed by fireguns, two in traffic accidents, and one was murdered. According to the Guatemalan firefighting authorities, the 20 traffic
accidents that occurred on New Year's Day also left 27 people injured, in addition to 14
people injured by fire weapons and four injured when igniting fireworks.
CARIBBEAN REGION
The Dominican Republic's Center of Emergency Operations (COE) said Friday that during the New Year's Day celebrations, seven people died in traffic accidents and one person died of alcohol intoxication. Meanwhile, 114 others were injured or intoxicated. The Panamanian National Police said Friday that seven people died as the result of different violent causes, including street fights, traffic accidents, or drowning.