A deadly fire broke out Monday night in a Barranquilla, Colombia prison, after several inmates set mattresses on fire during a clash between rival gangs, following an inspection carried out by prison guards. At least 10 people have been killed and as many as 42 injured inmates were taken to a hospital near the overcrowded “Cárcel Modelo,” and at least 15 remain hospitalized due to the extent of their burns and/or because of the amount of smoke inhaled.
“So far there are 10 dead and 42 injured,” said Barranquilla Governor José Antonio Segebre. He and the director of the Colombian prison system, Gen. Saúl Torres, visited the jail to assess the situation. Firefighters managed to put out the fire in the early hours of Tuesday. Torres told local radio stations later that the fight that prompted the fire broke out after guards carried out a search of the cell block during which drugs, mobile phones and weapons were confiscated.
Barranquilla authorities blamed the prison system and the overcrowding at the Modelo jail, which hosts 1,200 inmates, three times its capacity of 400 inmates. Meanwhile, outside the jail, located in the city's downtown area, dozens of people waited for news about jailed family members and friends.
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