Published on 11:17 AM, May 30, 2016

11 gunned down in Venezuela

Gunmen have killed 11 people, including three teenagers and a Colombian national, in Venezuela, officials say.

They say the unidentified attackers ordered the victims out of their homes before shooting them dead in the western Trujillo state on Saturday.

The gunmen then fled the scene in cars and motorcycles.

Non-governmental organisations say Venezuela's crime rates are increasing, as the country's economy is in recession due to falling oil prices.

Last year, the Venezuelan Observatory of Violence group released its report for 2014, recording 24,980 violent deaths. That equated to 82 murders per 100,000 inhabitants, up from 79 in 2013.

The NGO says those are figures for a country at war.

The government disputes the group's findings, saying the rates are much lower.