A state of emergency has been declared in Trinidad and Tobago due to a rise in murders

Trinidad and Tobago has declared a state of emergency as gang violence continues to escalate in the Caribbean nation.

President Christine Carla Kangaloo issued the declaration on the recommendation of Prime Minister Keith Rowley, who has been under increasing pressure to act on worsening crime rates.

The two-island republic has one of the highest homicide rates in Latin America and the Caribbean, with a record number of murders this year of more than 620 out of a population of 1.5 million.

Organized crime is responsible for the majority of murders, many of them linked to the international drug trade.

According to the US State Department, the country’s proximity to Venezuela, transparent borders and direct transport routes to Europe and North America make it “an excellent destination for drug transportation.”

In the latest incident of violence, five men were shot dead in a shop in the impoverished Laventille district on Sunday. Police believe the killing was in retaliation for the killing of a known gang member the previous day.

Details of the state of emergency have not yet been released, but are expected to be announced at a press conference later Monday.

The move comes as Trinidad and Tobago prepares for a general election due to be held 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.