Colombia’s national forensics institute on Thursday claimed homicide statistics for the city of Medellin quoted by President Alvaro Uribe are false.
Uribe claimed that there had only been 110 homicides this month in the Antioquian capital, compared to 82 homicides in January last year, while the Legal Medicine Institute reported 188 homicides for this month, compared to 78 cases in January 2009.
News website Terra reported that there has been an overwhelming increase in homicide cases, forcing hospitals to extend their hours and hire extra physicians in order to care for the victims of violent crimes.
Last year, more than twice as many people were murdered in Medellin compared to the year before.