Jump to content

UPDATE 2 -- Prison fire in central Honduras kills more than 270


News_Editor

Recommended Posts

UPDATE 2 -- Prison fire in central Honduras kills more than 270

2012-02-15 22:46:16 GMT+7 (ICT)

COMAYAGUA, HONDURAS (BNO NEWS) -- At least 272 people were killed on late Tuesday evening when a fire broke out at a prison in central Honduras, officials said on Wednesday morning. Hundreds of inmates may have escaped during the blaze.

The fire broke out at around 10:50 p.m. local time and quickly spread across units 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 at the prison in Comayagua, the capital of the province which carries the same name. There were a total of 853 inmates at the facility, well above its maximum capacity of 400.

Lucy Marder, chief of forensic services for the local prosecutor's office, said at least 272 people are believed to have been killed while dozens more have been injured. She said a female visitor who was staying overnight was among those killed, but the other victims are believed to have been inmates at the prison.

Many of the inmates were unable to escape when the fire broke out, and it took firefighters more than 40 minutes to reach the affected units as prison personnel was unable to find the keys to access some areas. Many inmates either burned or suffocated to death as they waited for help to arrive.

A photo published by the El Heraldo newspaper showed a unit with several bodies which were burnt beyond recognition.

"There are many bodies piled up inside the units of people who tried to escape the fire but couldn't," Fire Department spokesman Josué García was quoted as saying by the Spanish EFE news agency. Officials believe hundreds of inmates may have escaped through the roof as rescue workers tried to extinguish the blaze and rescue inmates.

The cause of the deadly fire was not immediately known, but prison officials rejected initial media reports that a riot took place before the incident. Investigators were investigating whether one of the inmates started the blaze or if a short circuit was responsible.

Tuesday's fire was one of the worst ever prison fires in Latin America.

In May 2004, a total of 107 inmates were killed when a fire broke out at a state prison in the city of San Pedro Sula, located in northwestern Honduras. Inmates blamed guards for the many deaths because they refused to open the cells as they screamed for help.

And in April 2003, fighting between rival gang members and a subsequent fire left 68 people dead at a prison in the Honduran port city of La Ceiba. A subsequent investigation blamed prison guards and police for most of the deaths, all gang members.

tvn.png

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2012-02-15

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.








  • Topics

  • Latest posts...

    1. 442

      Trump Rally in Butler PA

    2. 1

      Trump’s First Day Back: Key Priorities for a Second Term

    3. 0

      Family Heartbroken as Teen Found Murdered After 5 Days Missing

    4. 8

      How-To: How to stop Alibaba Commie-bandits from sending me spam?

    5. 69

      Why Men Are Rejecting Marriage

    6. 6

      Thailand Live Monday 30 September 2024

    7. 0

      PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra Thanks Public After Topping Poll

    8. 3

      Trump’s Plan to Reshape the Justice Department: A Radical Shift in Focus

    9. 2

      Trump Threatens Legal Action Against Google Over Alleged Bias in Search Results

    10. 69

      Why Men Are Rejecting Marriage

    11. 8

      How-To: How to stop Alibaba Commie-bandits from sending me spam?

    12. 51

      Three more prominent Republicans ‘put country over party’ and endorse Harris

    13. 1

      Boris Johnson Questions the Effectiveness of 'Medieval' Lockdowns in Covid Fight

    14. 6,584

      Australian Aged Pension

×
×
  • Create New...
""