Eight Guatemalans killed at party near Mexican border

Eight Guatemalans were shot dead at a gathering near the Mexican border as they celebrated Central American independence, police said on Wednesday.

Eight Guatemalans were shot dead at a gathering near the Mexican border as they celebrated Central American independence, police said on Wednesday.

HT Image

The killings took place on Monday night in the village of San Francisco, about 300 kilometres southwest of the capital, when unknown assailants in a van fired on them as they were drinking at a home that was under construction, a police report said.

The victims, men mostly between the ages of 19 and 28, included three members of a single family.

They apparently had been celebrating the 188th anniversary of Central American independence from Spain, which was marked on Tuesday.