Murders Hit Record in Peru as Capital Declared in Emergency (1)

Peru in 2025 is facing its deadliest start of the year on record, with the government imposing a state of emergency throughout the nation’s capital to try to keep criminals at bay.

The Andean nation recorded 368 homicides in the first two months of the year, according to data compiled by the health ministry death registry, Sinadef. That figure is more than three times higher than the number of murders registered during the same period in 2017, the oldest available data.

Paul Flores, a singer with cumbia group Armonia 10, was killed by gunmen Sunday after the band played a concert in the San Juan de Lurigancho district of Lima.

Photographer: Cesar Grados/GDA/AP Photo

President Dina Boluarte has declared a 30-day state of emergency in Lima, home to 12 million people, amid ...