This week has already seen at least five murders and four fatal road accidents, according to a report by the Red Cross.

Sadly, this begins the year right where 2007 left off.

Violent deaths in Costa Rica numbered 34 between Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve 2007, casting a shadow over a festive holiday week and rounding off a year in which incidents of fatal road crashes and murders soared.

The figures only include deaths that occurred at the scene of an accident or crime, without counting people who died later in the hospital.

From Dec. 24 to 31, a total of 13 people died in automobile accidents and eight were murdered.

The Red Cross' annual tally rose by 54, to 966, from 2006 to 2007. Its medics treated almost 3,000 people who were seriously injured, the report said.

A total 399 fatalities last year were from road accidents, the main cause of death in the Red Cross report, followed by shootings and stabbings, which claimed 203 lives. Another 104 lives were lost in drownings.