Funeral of Miss Honduras Maria Jose Alvarado and sister at tiny church as ...

A double funeral has been held for murdered Miss Honduras Maria Jose Alvarado and her sister Sofia.

This moving footage shows grief-ridden loved ones of the the sisters - including mum Teresa Muoz who wept over their coffins.

Hundreds of people turned out for the morning ceremony in a tiny church near their home town of Santa Barbara.

Recovered from a muddy grave, the bodies of reigning Miss Honduras Maria Jose Alvarado, 19, and her sister Sofia, 23, were filmed being driven off in the back of a pick-up yesterday after being discovered buried by a river nearly a week after they disappeared.

Forensics experts in protective suits carried the bodies to the truck with the jungle and a crowd of onlookers in the background.

Grief: Mum Teresa Munoz cries over the coffin of her daughter, former Miss Honduras World Maria Jose Alvarado

Maria, who was due to arrive in London for the Miss World competition, and Sofia, are thought to have been killed near their home after leaving the birthday party of Sofia's boyfriend Plutarco Ruiz.

Detectives said the 26-year-old has already confessed to the macabre crime.

Maria Jose disappeared along with her student sister last Thursday, less than a week before the start of this year's Miss World contest.

Her photo still featured on its official website today alongside a profile describing her as a keen volleyball and football player.

Local reports said Ruiz, who had been under arrest since the weekend, had confessed to shooting the two women dead in a jealous rage after his girlfriend had danced with another man at his party.

Police chief Leandro Osorio said: "We have Plutarco Ruiz, the material author of this abominable crime.

Service: The service was held in a tiny church in Santa Barbara, 200 km north of Tegucigalpa, in Honduras

"We have found the murder weapon and the car that was used to transport their bodies.

"We can say 100 per cent the bodies are those of the missing women."

The sisters' bodies were found buried on land by the Aguagua River in a mountainous area known as Piedra Gigante or Giant Stone near to the private party venue where their alleged killer celebrated his birthday.

Ruiz is understood to have led police to the burial spot after confessing following several days of questioning.

Detectives say he used his white Toyota pick-up to transfer the sisters' bodies to the spot where they were buried - before sending the vehicle off to be cleaned and painted at a local garage.

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An alleged accomplice, named locally as Aris Maldonado, is also facing a double murder charge.

The dead womens' mum had made several appeals for their safe return after they left her home in Santa Barbara for the party.

Teresa de Jesus said after Sofia's boyfriend's arrest she considered him a key suspect and claimed neighbours had told her he was "jealous and problematic" when he had been drinking.

Students at their university, the Polytechnic centre of the North, marched in white tops yesterday to demand their safe return.

Designer Eduardo Zabla, who on Sunday was due to hand Maria Jose the dress she hoped to win Miss World with, said before she was found dead: "I am very worried and anguished. I don't know what to think.

Beauty: Maria and sister Sofia were brutally murdered

"Maria Jose is a very good girl, very disciplined. I've been ringing her mobile constantly since her family told me she had disappeared, but there's no answer because it's switched off."

The case has caused consternation in the notoriously violent Honduras home to the most dangerous city on the planet.

San Pedro Sula, just over 30 miles from Santa Barbara, is the murder capital of the world with more than 1,200 killings a year among its nearly one million inhabitants.

Its murder rate of 169 per 100,000 people far surpasses anything in north America or much larger cities like Lagos or Sao Paulo.

Pretty Maria Jose beat 18 contestants to win the Miss Honduras crown in April.

The Miss World grand finale takes place on December 14 at ExCel London in the heart of the capital's Royal Docks area.

Tragic: The two bodies are driven off yesterday in the back of a pick-up after being recovered from muddy graves

Swiss-born medical student Carina Tyrrell, 24, a qualified ski instructor and competition level gymnast, is representing England.

Scotland is represented by media and marketing student Ellie McKeating, 20, from Glasgow.

Ireland's representative is business studies student Jessica Hayes, 20, from Cork.

Julia Morley, chairman of the Miss World organisation, said in a statement this afternoon: "We are devastated by this terrible loss of two young women, who were so full of life.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Maria Jose Alvarado and Sofia Trinidad at this time of grief.

"We are receiving messages of condolences and support from our Miss World family across the world, who all share our sadness at such a tragedy.

"We will be holding a special service with all the Miss World contestants on Sunday, where we will be honouring the lives of Maria Jose Alvarado and Sofia Trinidad, and say prayers for them and their family."

The sister's bodies are removed from muddy graves:

Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/funeral-miss-honduras-maria-jose-4665962