Prison Riot in Northeast Mexico Kills Dozens

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) —
Family members of inmates stand outside Topo Chico Prison as an ambulance leaves the compound in Monterrey, Mexico, February 11, 2016. Dozens of people were killed in a riot in a prison in northeastern Mexico early on Thursday, local media reported, the just days ahead of a planned visit by Pope Francis to another prison near in Mexico's far north. REUTERS/Daniel Becerril
Family members of inmates stand outside Topo Chico Prison in Monterrey, Mexico, Thursday, as an ambulance leaves the compound. (Reuters/Daniel Becerril)

Dozens of people were killed in a prison riot in northeastern Mexico early on Thursday, local media reported.

Milenio channel said at least 50 people were killed in the predawn riot, and that some prisoners may have escaped. It said relatives of prisoners had heard gunshots in the early hours and that a blaze had broken out.

Media images showed police vehicles patrolling the streets near the prison. Milenio reported that inmates’ relatives who had been within the jail’s premises for conjugal visits had seen inmates with burns, and that authorities were scouring for escapees.

The Nuevo Leon state government said that the situation had been brought under control, but gave no details on what had happened at the Topo Chico prison.

The incident is the latest in a series of deadly riots in recent years to rock the country’s overcrowded prisons, which often house inmates from different criminal gangs.

To Read The Full Story

Are you already a subscriber?
Click to log in!