Drugs and poverty have heightened violence and crime in various Central American nations. Though Venezuelan cities, for example, have seen a rise in crime over the last couple of years, the bloodiest cities are found in five Central American nations. Guatemala is one of them, and recent events add to that nation's hardships.

On Thursday, a mass homicide in a provincial Guatemalan city added to the country's history of crime and violence. According to the Spanish news agency EFE, gunmen entered a nightclub in the city of Coban in northern Guatemala and opened fire. Four were killed in the attack, which was announced by the Guatemalan government on Friday.

Two men, Roberto Cabna, 32, and Sergio Adonai Chon, 19, were pronounced dead at the scene. Two other victims were pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. Daniel Barrios, 26, and Benjamin de Jesus Medina, 21, died of their injuries, according to a statement by Guatemala's National Police. Two survivors, a 43-year-old woman and a 28-year-old man, were in stable condition.

According to EFE, Guatemala experienced 6,072 murders in 2013 in a nation of 14 million that averages 16 murders in a day. However, Guatemala's crime and homicide rate is not the worse. According to a new study released by the United Nations, Latin America as a whole has seen a rise in homicides and crime overall.

The US News and World Report states that the UN report finds a sharp increase in crime in Latin America, brandishing the region as the most dangerous in the world, a place formerly taken by Africa. The homicide rate in Latin America grew by 11 percent between 2000 and 2010 and more than a million people have died due to violent crimes. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has also found that this rise in violence may affect Latin America's economic future.

Economic growth in Latin American is only projected to reach 3 percent, according to the IMF. Yet, violence is not even throughout the region. Focus is centered on Central America, according to Slate. Forty-six percent of the world's homicides happen in Latin America, mostly in Central American countries, with the exception of Venezuela. Though recent events in countries like El Salvador have helped to reign in the bloody scourge, it may not be enough to remedy the situation within the whole region.

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