Death Toll up to 9 in Guatemala

The death toll from last week's bus bombing in Guatemala rose to nine after Berania Lopez died of his wounds at Roosevelt Hospital. 

The eighth victim had been buried on Tuesday when Jorge Efraín Cac Gutiérrez said good-bye to the last of his three sons that died in the bombing.  Following the death of his sons and wife, as well as attempted extortion following their deaths, Cac tried to commit suicide on Monday.  US Ambassador McFarland attended the funeral and reported that the US would provide FBI assistance should the Guatemalan government request it.

Eswin Carol Gálvez, a surgeon at the Retalhuleu hospital, was recently murdered in front of his home.  The suspects fled after shooting Dr. Gálvez in the back of the head and made no attempt at stealing anything.

 
Finally, in other news, former Interior Minister Raul Velasquez surrendered to authorities on Tuesday. Velasquez has been wanted since March on corruption charges.

Fired March 1 by President Alvaro Colom, Velasquez is accused of collecting a 50-percent kickback on a 40 million quetzal ($4.9 million) contract to supply fuel to the national police.

The then-minister stashed the money at banks in Panama, Brazil and the United States, prosecutors say.

Velasquez also faces a separate indictment in connection with a contract for renovations at a maximum-security prison.

Here's the cartoon from Prensa Libre wondering why it took him so long to turn himself in.  Apparently, he wanted to spend the holidays with his family.