Seven shot dead at Venezuelan funeral

CARACAS: Gunmen opened fire during a burial at a Venezuelan cemetery on Thursday, leaving seven people dead and five wounded, authorities said.

The shooting took place in the old graveyard of the central town of Turmero, the attorney general's office said in a statement.

"Several armed men fired against a group of people at the funeral of a friend who had died days earlier," the statement said, describing the incident as a "clash."

Local media said the victims died in a clash between rival gangs as one group buried one of its members.

Venezuela has the world's second-highest homicide rate, with 58 per 100,000 inhabitants per year, according to the World Health Organization.

The South American nation has been beset by violence, with gangs killing relatives or friends of rivals, going as far as opening fire inside hospitals.