Police in Panama are investigating the killing of seven young people whose bodies were found in a wooded area near a lake on Saturday.

The victims - 4 women and 3 men aged between 17 and 22 - were found near Gatún Lake, 80km north of the capital, Panama City. They had been in a group of 13 making a trip to the lake. The six who escaped said two armed men had attacked them.

An 18-year-old suspect was arrested, the public prosecutor’s office said. Investigators said the suspect had been identified by a scar on his face, which the survivors had described.