El Salvador reportedly saw a 70 percent increase in violent deaths in 2015. According to records released by the country's authorities, 2015 was the bloodiest since the country's civil war between alleged gang members and police in the Central American nation.

The Guardian reported that the figures released showed that at least 6,657 people were killed in 2015, amidst a surge in mass killings and an alarming increase in violence between gang members and police in the country.

The publication reported that during certain times in the past year, parts of El Salvador resembled war zones, with 6,000 soldiers deployed on the streets, alongside 23,000 police officers. There were reportedly truckloads of masked security forces who carried out house searches, searching for gang members. 

The murder rate reportedly surged to 104 per 100,000 residents. These numbers were compared to Venezuela's numbers, which accounted for 90 per 100,000 residents in Venezuela. For reference, Venezuela is reported to be the second most murderous country in 2015.

According to the report, August was the most violent month with more than 900 reported killings, which included 52 unprecedented deaths registered in a single day.

The death toll in 2015 is the highest recorded since 1983. This year marked the very height of what was a 12-year civil war between the US-backed military dictatorship and the leftwing guerrilla groups.

That internal conflict left an estimated 75,000 people dead, most of them civilians. The UN Truth Commission also reported that one million were displaced and thousands more disappeared.

The country reached a peace deal in 1992, which led the guerrillas to disband. However, the peace negotiations never resolved the problems of inequality and weak government institutions. As a result, the violence has continued and has only gotten worse.

El Salvador authorities have blamed the ongoing killings on street gangs who have been involved in territory disputes and drug extortion rings. The murders have reportedly fell by half after the government negotiated a truce between the country's two biggest street gangs, Calle 18 and Mara Salvatrucha 13 in 2012. The murders have soared since the peace pact unravelled in 2014.

There has also some mounting evidence that the El Salvador police have carried out extrajudicial killings against alleged gang members.

Inquirer reported that in March 2015, eight unarmed people were reportedly executed by police at the San Blas farm in San Salvador. The execution scene was allegedly covered up by police to make it seem like the victims had died in a gun battle.

The current violence is mostly centered in cities and semi-urban areas. However, the street gangs have now expanded into the smallest smallest rural communities in order to concentrate on running extortion rings and control territory.