Guatemala remains plagued by the violent rivalry between the Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gangs, which interior minister Francisco Jimenez blamed as the likely cause of the incident.

Armed men stormed a funeral home during the wake of a person killed Monday in another part of the capital, according to Jimenez.

While the wake was taking place, rival gang members from Mara Salvatrucha “stormed the funeral home and opened fire on the family and companions of the deceased”, he added.

Guatemala City municipal spokesman Amilcar Montejo said the gunmen opened fire inside the funeral home, leaving “seven dead and 13 wounded”.

He added that more injured victims were found just metres from the scene of the shooting.

The attackers, who arrived on motorcycles, fled the scene.

Authorities cordoned off the area as forensic teams recovered the bodies.

The minister said the wake had been considered “high risk” due to “the profile of the deceased”, and regretted that the police officers assigned to monitor the event had abandoned their posts before the attack.

Jimenez called the situation “unacceptable” and said the officers would be investigated by the internal affairs unit.

Guatemala ended 2024 with a homicide rate of 16.1 per 100,000 inhabitants – twice the global average – according to the interior ministry.

However, the figure has dropped from 29.6 in 2014.

Authorities attribute half of violent crimes to drug cartel activity and territorial disputes between gangs.