11 killed in shooting at pool hall in Honduras

By Sinan Dogan

BOGOTA (AA) – At least 11 people were killed when gunmen burst into a billiard hall in northern Honduras and opened fire, local media reported on Sunday.

The raid by the suspected hitmen took place Saturday night in Choloma, a town near the city of San Pedro Sula in northern Cortes province, reports said.

The gunmen killed 11 people, including a woman, and injured many others.

Security forces arrived and established checkpoints in the area.

A large-scale investigation was also launched into the incident.

Honduran President Xiomara Castro declared a curfew in Choloma and San Pedro Sula.

A curfew in Choloma immediately went into effect with “multiple operations, raids, captures and checkpoints” 24 hours a day, while the curfew in San Pedro Sula will begin on July 4 and last 15 days from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m., said Castro.

The president said she has taken “measures to provide security in the face of the brutal and ruthless terrorist attack by hired thugs trained and directed by the drug lords who operate with impunity in the drug corridor, Sula Valley.”

On June 20, at least 46 female prisoners were killed in a fight that broke out in a women's prison in Honduras.