Teenager stabbed fifty times and burned alive in Marseille: 'Unprecedented cruelty'

marseille - A 15-year-old boy in the French city of Marseille was stabbed fifty times and burned alive, prosecutors say. The violence on Wednesday took place in the drug environment and led to another murder.

A 15-year-old boy in the French city of Marseille was stabbed fifty times and burned alive, prosecutors say. The violence on Wednesday took place in the drug environment and led to another murder.

Public prosecutor Nicolas Bessone spoke of 'unprecedented cruelty' during a press conference. According to Bessone, the 15-year-old boy was hired by a 23-year-old prisoner to intimidate a rival. The prisoner had promised 2000 euros to set fire to a door of an apartment. The prosecutor said that a rival gang saw that the boy was armed and killed him.

The same prisoner allegedly recruited a 14-year-old boy for a retaliatory action. This teenager was to receive 50,000 euros for the murder of a gang member. According to Bessone, the boy hired a 36-year-old driver with whom he got into an argument and shot him dead. The victim was not involved in drug trafficking.

Marseille has long been dealing with drug violence, particularly regarding control of the market. The death toll in France's second city stands at seventeen this year, compared to 49 last year. According to Bessone, both the perpetrators and the victims are becoming increasingly younger.