TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras ( AP) — Trapped inmates screamed from their cells as a fire swept through a Honduran prison, killing at least 272 inmates, authorities said today.
The fire broke out Tuesday night at a prison in Comayagua, a town 90 miles north of the Central American country’s capital, Tegucigalpa. The prison holds about 800 inmates.
Lucy Marder, chief of forensic medicine for the prosecutors’ office, gave the death count to reporters in a news conference.
Comayagua fire department spokesman Josue Garcia said he saw “ horrific” scenes while trying to put out the fire, saying inmates rioted in attempts to escape. He said “ some 100 prisoners were burned to death or suffocated in their cells.”
“We couldn’t get them out because we didn’t have the keys and couldn’t find the guards who had them,” Garcia said.
Radio reports from Comayagua said dozens of prisoners were burned beyond recognition and the prison was destroyed by the flames.
The Times Record Sustaining Sponsor
We believe a community must be informed to thrive. bowdoin.edu
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less