Clashes over Honduras land ownership leave 11 dead

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Police vehicles head to the scene of the killings in Honduras
Image caption,

The Aguan region has seen repeated violence over land in recent years

Eleven people have died in two separate clashes over land in the Aguan region of north-eastern Honduras.

Six people were killed on Sunday and the bodies of five more people were found on Monday.

Authorities said additional police and soldiers were being deployed to the area after the latest violence.

There has been growing tension over land ownership in the Aguan Valley, which has some of the most productive farmland in Honduras.

The government has offered interest-free loans for farm workers to buy land but disagreement continues over purchase prices, the AFP news agency reports.

Local police said that Sunday's deaths followed an attempt by a group of workers to take over a ranch.

On Monday, the bodies of five people, including two women, were found near the ranch.

At least 35 farmer workers and guards have died in the ongoing conflict over the past two years.