HUNDREDS of Hondurans were tear-gassed on Wednesday as they tried to make their way into Guatemala as part of a migrant caravan.

It was the first such convoy since April 2019 and left from San Pedro towards Guatemala on Tuesday after 1,500 gathered at the rally point.

There were clashes with Honduran security forces at the town of Corinto as a group tried to cross without passing through border control.

Tear gas was fired at the crowds, which included many children.

Under a deal agreed by former Guatemalan president Jimmy Morales, migrants from Honduras and El Salvador must seek asylum there rather than the United States.

But Guatemala is not considered a place of safety, even by the US State Department which deems it “among the most dangerous countries in the world” with an “alarmingly high murder rate.”

Honduras had a homicide rate of 40 per 100,000 people in 2017, while Guatemala’s was 22.4 per 100,000 people according to InSight Crime.

Mexico is also refusing to allow migrants entry to the country, under pressure from US President Donald Trump. 

Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei said: “The Mexican government told us that they won’t let it pass, that they will do everything in their powers to stop it from passing.”