Caracas, Jan 9 (IANS/EFE): Seven people were killed and five others were wounded during a shooting at a graveyard in the central Venezuelan city of Turmero while a funeral was being held.

In a statement Thursday, the attorney general's office said that according to initial information, several armed men opened fire on a group of people burying a friend.

Seven people died in the resulting shootout and five others received gunshot wounds.

There was no immediate information from officials on the possible cause of the shootout, nor if any criminal gangs were involved.

Last month, the Venezuelan Observatory of Violence, an NGO which monitors crime in the country, said that in 2014, Venezuela registered 24,980 violent deaths, an increase from 79 to 82 in a year for every 100,000 people in the country.

Venezuela accounts for the second highest number of murders in the world, behind Honduras, according to data from the World Health Organisation.