A Honduran congresswoman has been left with serious injuries after being struck in the head by an explosive device that was thrown at her.
Gladys Aurora López, the National Party deputy, had been speaking to reporters outside the Legislative Palace for the National Congress of Honduras in Tegucigalpa on Thursday when the incident took place.
Footage captured the moment Lopez began speaking with those gathered outside the building before a circular device is seen flying through the air in her direction.
She is then suddenly struck in the back of her neck by the explosive as it erupts in an orange flame next to her head.
The attack came during a tense gathering ahead of a vote recount motion, sparked by fraud allegations after Nasry Asfura’s narrow presidential win on November 30, 2025.
Lopez survived the attack and is in a stable condition, but suffered a series of injuries, including burns, hearing damage, and possible fractured bones, according to local reports.
Several other lawmakers who had been standing around her at the time were also reportedly left with minor injuries.
Leaders from both sides condemned the violence, with Congress President Luis Redondo ordering a probe and president-elect Asfura calling for peace ahead of his January 27 inauguration.
Footage captured the moment Lopez began speaking with those gathered outside the building before a circular device is seen flying through the air in her direction
She is then suddenly struck in the back of her neck by the explosive as it erupts in an orange flame next to her head
Lopez survived the attack and is in a stable condition, but suffered a series of injuries, including burns, hearing damage, and possible fractured bones, according to local reports
Asfura said: ‘I don’t want to think it’s really for political reasons, but these are things that just can’t happen.’
Following the attack, Redondo said: ‘I have immediately instructed the security personnel of the National Congress to review the internal security cameras, as well as the 911 system records, in order to identify the person responsible for throwing an explosive device from outside the National Congress (public road) and proceed according to the law.’
He added: ‘We strongly condemn the act of violence that occurred in the National Congress, which has endangered the safety of individuals and directly affected our fellow congresswoman Gladys Aurora López… No act of violence will be tolerated within the legislative building or against any member of the Legislative Branch.’
Tomás Zambrano, head of the National Party’s congressional bloc, said: ‘We were giving interviews to the media, accompanied by fellow deputies from the National Party to begin the extraordinary session, and they threw bombs at us, with mortars’.
He further accused the ruling party of fostering violence against the opposition, stating: ‘These acts of violence have been perpetrated against the opposition for four years. They cannot continue abusing their power.’
Zambrano also called on the Armed Forces and National Police to fulfill their constitutional duty to provide security at the National Congress, warning that Honduras is facing one of its most critical political moments and urging that the attack not go unpunished.
