SAN SALVADOR – Four women, three of them believed to be minors, were slain in a town in central El Salvador, though who the murderers were or why they did it remain unknown, the National Civilian Police, or PNC, said.

A PNC spokesperson said that the crime took place in the town of Talnique, 42 kilometers (26 miles) southwest of San Salvador, where on Friday the bodies of the victims were found. All had suffered knife wounds.

Local media said that the young women appeared to be between 16 and 20 years of age and that their bodies were found where they had been dumped some 20 meters (65 feet) down a ravine.

The body of one of the victims showed signs of being strangled and, according to witnesses cited in the media, the women had apparently been chatting with their killers.

Police spokespersons did not confirm the identities of the victims and said that investigations are underway to discover the possible causes and perpetrators of the multiple slaying.

In El Salvador an average of 10 people are murdered every day.