The month of July broke a record for the number of deaths by homicide linked to organized crime, according to records kept by the newspaper Milenio.

A total of 2,264 people were murdered during the month, only 0.6% more than in June, but almost twice as many as in July 2018.

It topped off a four-month record-breaking streak: since April, every month has been the most violent since Milenio began counting murders. June was the first month in which more than 2,000 people were murdered.

In the first seven months of 2019, there have been 11,810 homicides, almost 30% more than there were in the same period last year, when there were 9,116.

México state, the most populous state in the country, had the highest number of homicides in July, with 230, an average of almost eight a day. Guanajuato, which previously topped the list of most violent states, followed with 205. Baja California was next with 194, followed by Jalisco with 185, Guerrero 150, Veracruz 130 and Puebla with 100.

The states with the fewest murders were Yucatán with one and Campeche with two.

Source: Milenio (sp)