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

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.

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