At least 25 people were killed in two separate attacks in northern Honduras, officials said. Nineteen victims were found at a palm plantation in Trujillo amid long-running gang and narcotics-related turf conflicts; a separate clash in Omoa left five police officers and one civilian dead. The violence follows recent legislative reforms that expand the military's role in public security and create a new anti-organized crime unit.
At Least 25 Killed in Two Deadly Attacks in Northern Honduras; 19 Executed at Palm Plantation
Several people were killed in northern Honduras where rival gangs are fighting for control of palm oil plantations (STRINGER)(STRINGER/AFP/AFP)
At least 25 people, including civilians and police officers, were killed on Thursday in two separate attacks in northern Honduras, authorities said. The deadliest incident — 19 people shot at a palm plantation in Trujillo — highlights escalating violence tied to gang turf wars and drug-trafficking routes as the government moves to broaden its security response.
Deadly Strike in Trujillo
Police and prosecutors said the most lethal attack occurred at dawn in the municipality of Trujillo, in Colón department, where 19 people were found shot with long guns in sprawling palm groves. Security Minister Gerzón Velásquez described the scene as "Dante-esque," and local media circulated video showing multiple bodies across the plantation.
A leader of a local rural association, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity for safety reasons, said the victims were workers tied to an armed group that controlled part of the plantation and that residents reported hearing heavy gunfire. Yuri Mora, a spokesperson for the prosecutor's office, said teams found 13 bodies in one location and six in another.
Clash Near Omoa
In a separate incident near the Guatemalan border in Omoa, Cortés department, national police reported that an anti-drug operation ended in a clash with alleged traffickers, leaving five officers and one civilian dead.
Wider Context and Government Response
The attacks come after Honduras's legislature approved a package of security reforms that expands the military's role in public security, establishes a new anti-organized crime unit and opens the possibility of classifying gangs and drug cartels as terrorist organizations. Honduras's homicide rate is roughly 24 killings per 100,000 inhabitants.
President Nasry Asfura, a conservative, has pledged to coordinate with U.S. President Donald Trump to intensify efforts against organized crime in the region.
"For now, what you can see (in the images) is a Dante-esque scene where several people appear to have been executed with high-caliber weapons," Security Minister Gerzón Velásquez told reporters.
Local police officials say armed groups occupy and illegally exploit large African palm plantations, using proceeds from the crops to buy weapons. Farmer organizations, however, accuse transnational agribusiness interests of backing criminal groups to carry out land occupations and prevent residents from reclaiming disputed territory. A senior government investigator, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said investigators believe the killings are tied to drug trafficking.
Authorities have launched investigations into both attacks and announced increased security operations in the affected departments.
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