16 inmates killed in fresh Honduras prison violence

There was a fresh bloodletting at the El Porvenir penitentiary in Honduras which is about 70 kilometres (43 miles) east of the capital Tegucigalpa, when a fight between armed inmates claimed the lives of at least 16 prisoners.

The incident which happened late on Sunday is the second outbreak of violence to hit the country’s prison system in the past few days.

The development has also forced the government to declare a “state of emergency” on the country’s prison system, giving control of institutions to police and military.

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A senior penal system official, Col. Jose Gonzalez, told journalists that two people were injured during the fracas.

He said the death toll from the prisoners’ clash is rising.

“The dead and wounded were attacked with bullets and sharp weapons,” a security spokesman, Lt. Antonio Coello, said.

 

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