Gunman kills 18 at Honduras shoe factory

Gunmen sprayed people with automatic weapons fire at a shoe factory in Honduras's second city San Pedro Sula, killing at least 18 people, says authorities.

Two or three gunmen burst into the small factory where about 25 people usually work in San Pedro Sula, 240 km north of the capital.

The gunmen opened fire with AK-47 rifles, killing 13 people on the spot and leaving six others wounded, said Safety Ministry spokesman Leonel Sauceda.

Five others later died of their injuries at a hospital in San Pedro Sula, he added.

Sauceda said police did not immediately identify a motive in the gruesome attack.

Honduras has one of the highest murder rates in the world -- 57 per 100,000 people, or 12 every day. San Pedro Sula, with one million inhabitants, is considered the country's murder capital.