Eight people shot dead in the mountains of Honduras

UPDATE DAY

Eight people were shot and killed Monday night in a mountainous area in central Honduras, believed to be over a land dispute, police say. 

“The victims are six men, a woman and a minor who were traveling in a vehicle (…) when they were attacked by bullets by unknown persons”, declared to AFP the spokesman of the national police Edgardo Barahona. “They lost their lives instantly,” he added.

The attack took place in El Portillo de la Mora, about 70 km northwest of the capital Tegucigalpa .

“We presume that (these killings) are due to land issues” between families, Comayagua department police spokesman Norman Velasquez told local media.

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Honduras remains one of the most violent countries in the world even though the homicide rate there fell in 2022 to 35.79 per 100,000 inhabitants, the lowest figure for 16 years.