Tegucigalpa: A riot on Tuesday at a women prison in Honduras left at least 41 inmates dead, the Public Ministry’s Forensic Medicine Directorate confirmed.
Authorities have so far discovered that 25 of the victims were burnt to death and 16 were riddled with bullets at the National Women’s Penitentiary for Social Adaptation, located in the central department of Francisco Morazan, about 35 km from the capital city Tegucigalpa, Public Ministry spokesperson Yuri Mora told reporters.
The death toll could rise as authorities continue to search the facility, he said.
Delma Ordonez, a representative of the relatives of the inmates, said the riot broke out after authorities announced new rules for the prison, including banning and confiscating televisions and other devices.
According to local media, injured prisoners were transferred to a hospital in Tegucigalpa, as images of the burned corpses and other scenes of the bloody aftermath were already circulating on social media.
“We will not tolerate acts of vandalism, nor irregularities at this prison,” Deputy Security Minister Julissa Villanueva said via Twitter at the start of the riot, as she declared an emergency and authorized the “immediate intervention” of the National Police and the military, as well as firefighters.
Authorities are expected to release an official death toll, along with the names of the deceased inmates, in the coming hours.
