Guatemala’s criminal gangs often target public transport An explosion on a bus in Guatemala City has killed at least five people and left more than a dozen others with serious burns.
Police think the blast was caused by a home-made fire bomb which was either thrown onto the bus or left on board, causing it to burst into flames.
Two of the people burnt to death were children.
Public transport in Guatemala is subject to regular extortion by violent criminal gangs.
Local human rights groups say more than 150 bus drivers and their assistants were murdered in 2010.
Guatemalan police estimate that bus drivers paid out more than $1.5m (£970,000) in extortion money to organized crime groups over the course of the year.
They say arrested and charged more than 500 people with trying top extort money from businesses.
Guatemala has one of the highest murder rates in the world, with many of the killings blamed on organized criminal gangs that have links to Mexico’s violent drugs cartels.
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