San Pedro Sula, Cortés.
The whole country had just welcomed the year 2021 with great hope and nostalgia for all that was left, when suddenly the first violent deaths were reported in the various wards.
The blood trail started a few minutes after midnight, an uncle, his two cousins and a neighbor were surprised by unknown individuals who attacked them with bullets without a word. The event took place in the Bella Vista neighborhood of Catacamas, Olancho, where René Obdulio Vaquedano Oliva (50), Cristian Johel (20) and José Roberto Guifarro Díaz (23), as well as Sergio Dagoberto Cruz Osorio (30)They talked for the New Year.
Hours later, in the Corocolito neighborhood of El Progreso, Yoro, a man was stabbed to death and left his body in a lonely place in the sector. The victim responded to the name of Jhony García Peña (25), who was reported missing on the night of December 31, 2020.
Can read: At the end of the year, 11 people were burned in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula
In La Libertad sector, in Santa Rita, Copán, another man was shot and killed. It was identified as Andres Rodriguez (38). On the other hand, in the community of Guayabita, in Iguala, Lempira, Wilson Barrientos (36) He was murdered by armed subjects who intercepted him just as he left home.
In the early hours of this Friday, in the sector El Picachito, in Tegucigalpa, they died a man and then they dragged his body to a nearby ravine. His identity is currently unknown. Meanwhile, in the Santa Clara neighborhood, always in the capital, a man he was beaten to death by unknown persons.
His body was found in a vacant lot in the sector. Police arrived on the scene, as well as forensics from the prosecution service to work on their recognition.
2020 in numbers
In 2020 there were almost 50 massacres in the country. According to Security Secretary, Honduras ended 2020 with a reduction in homicides of more than 15% compared to 2019, but continued to suffer a wave of violence with a rate of at least 37 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants despite the mobility-limiting measures for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Further: In confrontation with the police, they arrest the murder suspect
According to official figures, up to December 31, 2020, Honduras registered 3,482 murders and a daily average of 9.48.
Violence continues to overwhelm in Honduras despite the coronavirus and mobility-restricting measures to stop the contamination, Migdonia Ayestas, Director of the Observatory of Violence at Honduras National Autonomous University, said.
As COVID-19 cases increase, the violence plaguing the country remains unstoppable – that is, the streets have not become safer despite the pandemic.