8 Dead in Honduras Bus Attack; 7 Killed in Similar Attack in Guatemala

[Jeff Dunsavage]

An attack on a bus in Honduras claimed the lives of eight passengers including four children. The attack was carried out late Thursday in the eastern Honduran province of Olancho, near the town of Punare. Attackers tried to get the bus to stop, and when they failed they opened fire on the vehicle with automatic weapons. The vehicle was riddled with bullets.

Earlier this week, an attack on a bus in Guatemala killed seven people and injured 15, some of whom were left in serious condition. Police said members of the gang Mara 18 perpetrated the attack in order to extort the firm that owns the bus.

Criminal gangs terrorise the populations of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. They often demand money from bus and taxi firms, and in Guatemala several bus drivers have been killed after their employers refused to pay up. Read full article.