Venezuela inquiry into child porn

Venezuelan police are trying to find those responsible for distributing thousands of child pornographic videos filmed in schools across the capital.

Thousands of copies have been seized by the authorities from street traders in Caracas since Wednesday.

The videos, apparently filmed on mobile phones, showed 12- to 14-year-olds performing lewd acts, police said.

A video of post-mortem examinations performed on young people is also reported to have been found.

Few details are available but some of these films are thought to have originated in the United States, others in South America.

Shock

Officials from the mayor's office in Caracas said the authorities believed the images of children had been sent by e-mail, edited electronically and then put on discs and distributed to street sellers.

They have been sold on the streets, alongside many other pirated copies of pornographic videos, for about $2 each.

One woman is reported to have died of a heart attack after seeing her daughter in one of the videos.

The youngsters have been identified as being from 14 different schools in the Caracas area.