19 Killed in Massacre at Honduran Palm Plantation, Gang Crime Suspected

Tegucigalpa, May 21 (CNA) - As Honduras prepares for military action against gang crime, authorities stated today that a massacre occurred at a palm plantation in the north, leaving at least 19 people dead. The massacre took place the previous night in Rigores, in the Bajo Aguan region. For years, rival gangs have been fighting for control of the palm plantations and drug trafficking routes in this area. The Honduran Congress has just approved a series of reform plans to combat criminal violence. Currently, there are 24 murders per 100,000 people in Honduras. The new measures passed by Congress authorize the military to participate in public security missions, establish new task forces to combat organized crime, and may also designate gangs and drug cartels as terrorist organizations. Honduras' new conservative president, Nasry Asfura, has promised to work with US President Donald Trump to combat organized crime in Latin America. AFP reported that footage broadcast by local media showed at least nine bodies scattered across the vast palm plantation. Honduran Security Minister Gerzon Velasquez told reporters, 'Looking at the scene, it's like hell. Several people were clearly killed by high-powered weapons, including rifles and shotguns.' Prosecutor's spokesperson Yuri Mora indicated on local television that investigation teams found 13 and 6 bodies at two separate locations. A local rural group leader told AFP that the farmers killed in the Aguan Valley were employed by an armed gang that controls the palm plantations. Velasquez stated that the cause of the crime is currently unclear, but the location has been 'in a state of conflict for years,' with armed gangs frequently clashing over palm oil extraction rights and drug trafficking routes. Carlos Rojas, police chief of nearby Trujillo, told local media that gangs occupy primary forest land, illegally clear vegetation to make room for planting African oil palms, and use the income to purchase weapons.