World Notes EL SALVADOR

The kidnap drama ended almost as quickly as it began. But tragedy seemed in the making when a heavily armed man and woman took over a San Salvador school and held 947 students and 27 teachers hostage. The couple turned out to be a crazed 18-year-old army deserter and his 17-year-old girlfriend. After six hours of negotiations, the two surrendered. Though many questioned the man's claim that he was a leftist guerrilla, the incident illustrated the capital's deteriorating security. Hours before the hostage taking, an attack by real guerrillas had left two San Salvador police officers dead.