5 U.S. Students in Guatemala Raped
GUATEMALA CITY — Five U.S. college students on an educational tour of Guatemala were raped after their bus was ambushed by gunmen in a hilly region known for banditry, police said Sunday.
Three staff members and 13 students from St. Mary’s College in Maryland were returning to Guatemala City on Friday. A pickup stopped the bus, and four men with semiautomatic weapons forced everyone into a field, college spokesman Torre Meringolo said.
“The bus was held down by four armed bandits who proceeded to rob each of the individuals,†he said. “Then they sexually assaulted five of the women, all students.â€
The gunmen held the group for 1 1/2 hours, the college said in a statement. Police said the attack occurred near Santa Lucia Cotzulmalguapa, about 40 miles from the Guatemalan capital.
Guatemalan police had two men, ages 37 and 24, in custody, a police official told Associated Press.
The students who were raped were treated in a Guatemala City hospital and returned home Saturday night. The remaining students returned Sunday night.
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