Death Toll in Honduras Ranch Shooting Rises to at Least 20, Authorities Say

HONDURAS – At least 20 people, including 15 men, three women and two minors, were killed in a shooting at a palm plantation in northern Honduras in one of the deadliest attacks in the country this year.

Authorities earlier reported difficulty securing the scene as relatives had begun removing bodies before investigators had finished their work.

Prosecutors said the attack was carried out by several armed men who opened fire near a church on the grounds as workers were preparing to begin their workday.

The attack took place in an area long marked by violent land disputes, drug trafficking routes and the expansion of African palm cultivation.