At least 24 people were killed on Thursday in Honduras in two separate armed attacks in the northern departments of Colon and Cortes.

The first attack, a shooting at a palm plantation in Trujillo, Colon, claimed the lives of 19 civilians, with 17 bodies already identified, local media reported.

In a second shooting, five National Police officers with the Anti-Gang Police Directorate were killed during an armed raid in the village of Corinto, Cortes, Yuri Mora, spokesperson for the Honduran Public Prosecutor's Office, said. 

According to the official report, a fierce confrontation broke out between criminals and police, during which the officers were overpowered and killed.