Atlántida News

Susana Sabillón of Pajuiles died after the Rio Dorado swept her car into the river near Tela, Atlántida; her husband survived, and authorities urge citizens to avoid fording swollen rivers and flooded crossings.

Susana Sabillón, from the village of Pajuiles, died on October 23 when the strong current of the Rio Dorado swept away the vehicle she and her husband were traveling in near Tela, Atlántida; her husband survived.

Darwin Centeno, a territorial defender in the Garífuna community of Triunfo de la Cruz, Tela, was arrested for 13 hours without a warrant on allegations of illegal weapons possession and disrespect to authorities; advocates say no weapon was found and he suffered beatings during the arrest.

A security guard was shot and killed during an armed robbery at a diner in San Juan Pueblo, Atlantida; surveillance footage captured two suspects fleeing the scene.

The Ministry of Health is operating mobile medical clinics (UMACs) in Tela, San Carlos, Salamá, and Liure from October 19–23 to bring healthcare services closer to rural and urban communities.

The Military Police discovered an approximately two-acre illegal coca cultivation with 11,000 plants in a mountainous area of La Másica, Atlántida, during long-range patrols targeting drug trafficking and organized crime.

Kevin Pacheco, from La Masica in Atlántida, died instantly when struck by lightning while in the Santa Ana River during an electrical storm, as heavy rains and lightning activity sweep across Honduras.

Honduras is hosting the 68th annual meeting of the Central American cooperative program for crop and livestock improvement in Tela from September 28 to October 2, bringing together over 150 research projects aimed at boosting food production amid climate challenges.

The Lancetilla Botanical Garden and Research Center, a landmark institution in Honduras since 1926, celebrated its centennial with a commemorative ceremony honoring a century of contributions to biodiversity, environmental education, and forest conservation.

Military environmental patrols found about two manzanas of illegally cleared forest near a river in La Masica, Atlántida, and announced an investigation to establish responsibility.

Military patrols halted the illegal clearing of about 8 acres (two manzanas) of forest in La Másica, Atlántida, where workers were felling large timber trees and converting land for farming near Río Cuero, a watershed officials say is vital to the community's water supply and flood protection.

As sargassum seaweed threatens Honduras's most-visited beach destination ahead of the Morazán holiday, Tela's municipal government has activated cleanup crews and contingency plans to protect tourism and public access to the shoreline.

Juan Ángel López Fuentes, 30, and Dixion Geovany Lara Aldana, 17, were found partially buried in a field in El Naranjo, Jutiapa, Atlántida on Monday; a third man was wounded and survived, and authorities are investigating a possible family dispute as the motive.

Retired physician Juan Carlos Andrade Romero, 61, was discovered dead in his home in El Porvenir, Atlántida, with multiple stab wounds; he had last contacted family on Saturday and was believed to have been dead 2–4 days.

Leonarda de Jesús Matute was shot dead in her home in San Juan Pueblo, Atlántida, months after her daughter Isis Carolina Matute, 25, was murdered in the same area in April; police are investigating whether the killings are connected.

Rosy Martínez, a young Garífuna woman from San Juan who had been reported missing, was found dead on Tornabé beach in Tela, Atlántida on Saturday; authorities await a forensic report to determine the cause of death.

Business leaders in Atlántida are calling for urgent repairs to the CA-13 highway and other regional roads ahead of the Morazán holiday week, arguing that poor infrastructure undermines the area's appeal to tourists and that a promised tourism corridor project is needed to address decades of neglect.

Honduras's civil protection agency and international partners will conduct a large-scale tsunami simulation on October 13 in Atlántida coastal communities to strengthen emergency coordination and community awareness.

Honduran singer Omar Fuentes ("Rude Boy") released a song recalling the December 2019 case of 12-year-old Enoc Pérez, who vanished in Tela the same day his grandfather, uncle, and nanny were found dead — and whose whereabouts remain unknown more than six years later.

Two people were killed Saturday afternoon when unknown assailants opened fire on their vehicle in El Pino, Atlántida, sparking alarm in the community.

Five Garífuna community defenders accused of usurpation in a July eviction from ancestral San Juan lands remain without a judge after a national court nullified prior proceedings, while their lawyers argue the process violates constitutional protections and Inter-American Court rulings.

Tela's municipality presented plans for a 1.5-kilometer linear park along a defunct canal, a tourism pier for boats and yachts, and a bike path to improve public spaces and marine-based tourism, though projects remain in design phase pending permits and financing.

Honduras's national power utility ENEE has announced scheduled power cuts on August 14 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. affecting numerous neighborhoods, municipalities, and towns primarily in Atlántida department.

The Infrastructure and Transport Ministry (SIT) is driving construction of a yacht marina in Tela, with a shopping center and hotel also projected, in a development officials say will attract domestic and foreign tourists.

A court in Tegucigalpa has stalled for 18 months on two appeals challenging the pretrial detention of four men accused of the July 2020 disappearance of five Garífuna community leaders from Triunfo de la Cruz, with prosecutors filing a motion to force a ruling.

Heavy overnight rainfall in Tela, Atlántida, prompted firefighters to evacuate a family as a precaution against flooding, while collapsed storm drains and clogged drainage systems compounded by debris posed ongoing risks.

Joseph David Vuelto, a 16-year-old fisherman, remains missing in the Caribbean Sea after vanishing during a fishing trip from Corozal toward Cayos Cochinos; family members, local fishermen, and volunteers continue searching the coast despite the official maritime rescue period having ended.

President Asfura presented infrastructure priorities for the Atlantic region including CA-13 highway rehabilitation (with $180 million from the World Bank and Spain), the La Barca–Tela route expansion, and Guillermo Anderson Airport modernization, aimed at improving connectivity and investment.

Joseph David Vuelto, 16, disappeared Friday after his fishing boat capsized near Cayos Cochinos in the Caribbean; his companion was rescued, but search efforts have found only his fishing gear.

Garífuna organizations announced they will not attend a September 11 court hearing for five activists accused of land occupation, citing a corrupt, racially biased judicial system that favors powerful interests over Indigenous land rights.