Eight dead after bus attack in Honduras

[News_Editor]

Eight dead after bus attack in Honduras

2011-01-08 07:49:17 GMT+7 (ICT)

OLANCHO, HONDURAS (BNO NEWS) -- Eight people were killed on Thursday evening after a bus was attacked in Olancho in northwestern Honduras, the La Prensa newspaper reported on Friday.

The newspaper reported that the bus was ambushed by gunmen aboard two vehicles who shot at the eleven people inside the vehicle at about 6:30 p.m. local time. On Friday, authorities said that the attack targeted a female passenger related to a drug cartel.

The gunmen, who were identified as members of a rival cartel, were armed with Russian assault rifles and ambushed the bus in the highest part of a hill. Olancho is a region in which drug dealing is a common activity.

At the spot, three women and four children died. The eighth victim died in a nearby hospital due to the severe injuries sustained. Three more individuals were injured too and their condition is reported as stable.

Two drug cartels dominate the Olancho region where cocaine is received from South America transported via small airplanes that land on clandestine air fields operated by drug traffickers.

The supposed target was identified as "La Doctora" (The woman doctor) by local media. The "doctor" allegedly has an important role within one of the criminal organizations that distribute narcotics in the region.

She is one of the three survivors along the driver and another woman. The three wounded are being treated at the Juticalpa hospital. Armed relatives remain outside the medical center to prevent further assassination attempts.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-01-08