MANAGUA, April 1 (Xinhua) -- At least 46 people were killed in Nicaragua over the Holy Week from March 25 to 31, the national police's spokesperson, Vilma Gonzalez, announced on Sunday.
Speaking at a press conference, Gonzalez said that a total of 22 people died by drowning, 15 in traffic accidents and nine in homicides.
She reported that the 2018 festival saw eight more deaths due to drowning than in the same period of 2017, when 14 people perished.
In terms of traffic accident, 767 crashes were reported, as opposed to 659 in 2017.
Concerning the deaths in car crashes this year, eight deaths were due to alcohol consumption and three to reckless driving, while the rest was down to unspecified causes, while 41 more people were injured.
However, crime was down during Holy Week, with 641 acts of criminality being reported, or 344 less than the 985 registered in 2017.
Of the nine homicides reported, five were carried out with a firearm, three with other weapons and one by strangulation.
Nicaragua's Summer Plan 2018 has seen 14,000 military police deployed across beaches and tourist destinations, in order to increase security during the holiday period.
