Trinidad and Tobago has declared a state of emergency as gang violence in the Caribbean nation continues to escalate.
President Christine Carla Kangaloo issued the declaration on the advice of Prime Minister Keith Rowley, who has been under increasing pressure to act because of worsening crime figures.
The two-island republic has one of the highest homicide rates in Latin America and the Caribbean, with a record number of murders of more than 620 so far this year in a population of 1.5 million.
Organized crime is responsible for the majority of murders, many of which are linked to the international drug trade.
According to the US State Department, the country's close proximity to Venezuela, porous borders and direct transport routes to Europe and North America make it a “prime location for drug transshipment”.
In the latest violent incident, five men were shot dead in a shop in the impoverished Laventille area on Sunday. Police believe the killings were revenge for the killing of a prominent gang member the previous day.
No details have yet been released about the emergency.
The move comes as Trinidad and Tobago prepares for general elections due by August 2025.
Rowley's ruling People's National Movement party, in power since September 2015, faces a strong challenge from the opposition United National Congress, led by former prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.