MEXICO CITY, May 21 (Xinhua) -- At least 14 people were killed Thursday in an armed attack at a palm plantation in the municipality of Trujillo, in Honduras' northern department of Colon, reports reaching here said.

The victims included 11 men and three women, with most of the bodies found inside the plantation, according to Honduran media reports.

Local residents said the victims were believed to be farmworkers and were heading to their work site when the attack occurred.

Honduran Security Minister Gerzon Velasquez said the government will urgently deploy special operations teams to the area to arrest the suspects and combat local criminal groups.

Some parts of Colon have long been plagued by land disputes, drug trafficking and armed crime, with repeated cases of killings and forced evictions in recent years, according to local media reports. ■