At least 24 killed in two separate attacks in Honduras

At least 24 people have been killed, including fourpolice officers, in two separate violent incidents in Honduras on Thursday.

The first attack reportedly took place at a ranch in north of the country, where at least 19 workers were shot and killed, authorities said.

A second shooting occurred in the coastal town of Omoa near the border of Guatemala, where at least four police officers were killed,National Police spokesperson Edgardo Barahona has said. One civilian was also reported to have been killed in the second attack.

Following the two attacks, the National Police issued a statement that said it will respond with "direct intervention" in both of the areas.

No motive has been identified for the attack on workers at the ranch in Trujillo. However, northern Honduras has been the site of ongoing agrarian conflict for years.

The officers who were attacked while travelling to Omoa from the capital Tegucigalpa, were part of an anti-gang mission, police have said.

The total death toll in the Trujillo ranch attack remains unclear because relatives of the victims had begun collecting the bodies of their loved ones, Barahona said, according to the Associated Press.

However, in a separate press conference, Honduras Security Minister Gerzon Velasquez said bodies in Trujillo were likely removed by colleagues or criminal ties before authorities reached the scene, according to the Reuters news agency.

No arrests have been reported so far.

Honduras has long suffered from high rates of crime due to wide-spread gang violence and transnational drug trade.

While the homicide rate has decreased, Honduras still has the second-highest homicide rate in the Americas, according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.