 |
Prison Fire Leaves 26 Dead in Chile
A fire during a prison riot in the northern Chilean city of Iquique left 26 inmates dead, the government reported early Monday.
``The mutinous inmates set mattresses and blankets on fire and we now lament the deaths of 26 people,'' regional governor Patricio Zapata said in the port city 1,050 miles north of Santiago.
Causes for the violence were not immediately known, Zapata said.
``The situation has now been brought under control,'' Zapata said, as scores of relatives of the inmates gathered around the prison building.
Radio Cooperativa of Santiago reported that at one point police used tear gas to scatter the relatives who tried to enter the prison.
``The reasons for the violence are not clear, and we have ordered an investigation,'' Zapata said. He said Justice Minister Jose Gomez was flying to Iquique from Santiago to lead the investigation.
In This Section
|