The International Press Institute (IPI) today condemned the killing of a journalist in western El Salvador.

Radio host Nelson Hernandez was stabbed to death in the early hours on 8 June, the Spanish news agency EFE reported. He was reportedly found dead in a river.

The journalist, a host at Radio SKY, was said to have been on his way to work at the broadcaster when he was attacked. The motive behind the death remains unclear and local media reported that there was no evidence that Hernandez had received any threats.

Before joining Radio SKY, Hernandez was a correspondent in the western province of Sonsonate for several television and radio stations in San Salvador, the country’s capital.

IPI Press Freedom Manager Anthony Mills said: “Our condolences go out to the family, friends and colleagues of Mr. Hernandez. We are very concerned about the recent spike in journalists’ deaths, which have made Latin America one of the deadliest places on earth for journalists. We urge the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and bring the perpetrators to justice.”

According to IPI’s Death Watch, Hernandez is the second journalist killed in El Salvador this year. Channel 33 television cameraman Alfredo Hurtado was gunned down on a bus on the evening of 26 April in suburban San Salvador on his way to work when two unknown young men boarded the bus, approached him and opened fire.

IPI’s Death Watch indicates that 12 other journalists in addition to Hernandez and Hurtado have been killed in Latin America this year, making the region the second most dangerous in the world for journalists following the Middle East and North Africa, where at least 20 have died.