At least 7 killed, 59 escape in Mexico jail riot

At least 7 killed, 59 escape in Mexico jail riot

2011-07-16 23:41:39 GMT+7 (ICT)

TAMAULIPAS, MEXICO (BNO NEWS) -- At least seven prisoners were killed and 59 others managed to escape during a riot at a jail in the northern Mexican state of Tamaulipas, state officials said on Friday.

The El Universal newspaper reported that the riot erupted on early Friday morning in Nuevo Laredo's Sanctions Enforcement Center, which houses around 1,238 prisoners. Tamaulipas state officials said five prison guards left their position during the clash.

The army and federal police surrounded the prison after the breakout, while government agents monitored the interior. According to authorities, 35 of the fugitives were imprisoned for federal crimes, including drug trafficking.

The federal government condemned the escape and said that more than 400 inmates have escaped since January 2010 in Tamaulipas due to the corruption of prison authorities.

On December 17, 2010, 147 inmates escaped from a prison in Nuevo Laredo near the U.S. border when they simply walked out the front door. After the escape, the then governor of Tamaulipas Eugenio Hernández dismissed the prison's director and the state prisons director, and requested that criminal charges be filed against them for their alleged responsibility. To date, their whereabouts are unknown.

On March 11, 2011, Rebeca Nicasio Vázquez, who according to her resume had no experience for this role, was ratified as the new director. Three days later, she was stabbed to death by an inmate while touring the prison facilities.

Mexico has been struggling to cope with an influx of criminals as President Felipe Calderón continues with his campaign against organized crime and drug cartels. According to government figures, a total of 15,273 drug-related crimes occurred in Mexico in 2010, while more than 40,000 people have died in drug-related violence since the campaign began in December 2006.

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