To the joy of local revelers, the blasting of fireworks in the night and celebrations in parks and decorated spaces, the country adds the relief of living through 16 days free of murders in December, a report of the National Civil Police (PNC) said this morning.

The figures highlight an on-going trend since mid-November, when the country was close to recording a month free of gang-related fatalities.

We ended on Monday, December 16, with zero homicides in the country, a note in X from the police corporation said.

The peaceful pause in the last month of the year comes on top of previous periods, bringing the total number of zero-fatality days in 2024 to 265.

Since President Nayib Bukele came to power and implemented the Territorial Control Plan, as part of the natiowide emergency rule in force since March 2022, the country has reported 783 days with no violent deaths at all.

ied/arm/mem/lb