El Salvadoran lawmakers on Sunday (March 27) declared a state of emergency at President Nayib Bukele's request, expanding police powers and curtailing civil liberties as the country faces soaring gang-related bloodshed that has left dozens dead in just two days.
The small Central American nation has endured a fresh wave of gang violence, with police reporting 62 people killed on Saturday alone.
According to official figures, 12 of the killings took place in central La Libertad department, with the capital San Salvador and the western department of Ahuachapan recording nine each. The rest were distributed across other departments.
