At least 24 killed in two armed attacks in Honduras

Mexico City (ANTARA) - At least 24 people were killed on Thursday (21 May) in Honduras in two armed attacks in the northern departments of Colón and Cortés. The victims included 19 civilians who died in a shooting at a palm oil plantation and five officers of the National Police who died during security operations, according to local media reports. Yuri Mora, spokesman for the Honduran Office of the Public Prosecutor, said forensic teams were working in both areas to carry out autopsies and officially identify the bodies before handing them over to the families. In Trujillo, Colón, two teams have identified 17 bodies, in addition to two more bodies that remain in coffins at their homes. On the same day, Mora said, five officers of the Directorate of Anti-Gang Police died in a gun raid in the village of Corinto, Cortés. During the raid, a violent confrontation between the criminals and police officers is believed to have occurred, causing the officers to be overwhelmed and killed, according to official reports.