Alleged members of the infamous MS-13 cartel have gone on trial together in El Salvador, all charged with a staggering 47,000 crimes, including nearly 30,000 murders

The terrifying faces of Central America’s most dangerous gang have been beamed into court from behind the walls of a high-tech mega-prison.

Nearly 500 alleged members of the notorious Mara Salvatrucha gang, known as MS-13 appeared via video link for a historic mass trial.

Prosecutors in El Salvador say the group is responsible for a staggering 47,000 crimes, including 29,000 murders committed between 2012 and 2022.

The defendants, appearing from the ultra-secure Counter-Terrorism Confinement Center, are accused of trying to run a "parallel state" according to the Attorney General's Office.