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Families tear-gassed as 68 prisoners die in fire at jail in Venezuela

Prisoners in the overcrowded facility reportedly set fire to mattresses during an attempted breakout.

Thursday 29 March 2018 07:38, UK

Police dispersed crowds outside the prison using tear gas
Image: Police dispersed crowds outside the prison using tear gas
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Relatives waiting for news outside a Venezuelan prison where 68 inmates have died in a fire have been tear-gassed by police.

The blaze started when violence broke out during an attempted breakout at the jail, which is attached to a police station, in the northern city of Valencia.

Families of the prisoners, who were hoping for news outside the police station, were dispersed with tear gas, while others came up against police officers wielding riot shields.

Riot police were also scrambled to deal with the crowds
Image: Riot police were also scrambled to deal with the crowds

One woman present outside the jail, Dora Blanco, told local media: "I am a desperate mother. My son has been here a week. They have not given any information."

Another distraught mother, Aida Parra, said: "I don't know if my son is dead or alive. They haven't told me anything."

Relatives cried out in anguish outside the prison where 68 inmates died in a fire
Image: Relatives cried out in anguish outside the prison where 68 inmates died in a fire

There are reports that a number of people burned to death during the unrest, and a policeman is recovering in a stable condition after being shot in the leg. Another was wounded by a stone that was thrown.

Firefighters have now extinguished the blaze, which reportedly started when inmates set fire to mattresses.

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Chief prosecutor Tarek William Saab used Twitter to confirm the death toll, which includes two women thought to have been visiting the cells, adding that four prosecutors had been assigned to "clarify these dramatic events".

Paramedics attend to a relative of one of the inmates, after she fainted
Image: Paramedics attend to a relative of one of the inmates after she fainted

It is the latest deadly incident at one of the country's overcrowded jails, with this prison believed to have a capacity of about 60.

Rafael Lacava, the governor of Carabobo state, said: "A serious and profound investigation has been initiated to find the causes and those responsible for these regrettable events."

His local political opponent, Juan Miguel Matheus, has demanded that those waiting outside the facility be kept informed: "The desperation of relatives should not be played with."

A homicide unit arrives to a prison after a riot
Image: A homicide unit arrives at the prison after a riot

Many Venezuelan jails are lawless and have been for decades.

Prisoners often openly wield machine guns and grenades, use drugs and leave guards powerless.

The overcrowding at many of the country's penitentiaries means convicts are often sent to temporary pens designed for suspects facing charges and court hearings, where they are supposed to stay for up to 48 hours only.

Families gathered to await news outside the facility
Image: Families gathered to await news outside the facility

Two weeks ago, 58 detainees had to be recaptured after escaping holding cells on the popular tourist spot of Margarita Island, and in August 2017 a riot at police cells in the southern state of Amazonas left 37 dead and 14 wounded.

Last April, a dozen people died and 11 were injured when rival gangs fought at the Puente Ayala prison in the eastern city of Barcelona, and a month before that the remains of 14 people were found in a mass grave at the General Penitentiary of Venezuela in San Juan de Los Morros.

Activist Humberto Prado said of the country's prisons: "There are people who are inside those dungeons, and the authorities do not know they exist because they do not dare to enter."