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| Mexico prison riot leaves 52 dead near Monterrey | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A riot and a fire at a prison near Monterrey in northern Mexico has left 52 people dead, state officials say. | |
| Another 12 were injured in the riot at Topo Chico jail that broke out just after midnight. | |
| Smoke was seen billowing from the complex but officials in Nuevo Leon state say the situation is now under control and no inmates have escaped. | |
| Crowds of people worried about relatives inside the jail blocked roads outside, demanding information. | Crowds of people worried about relatives inside the jail blocked roads outside, demanding information. |
| "I want to know that my daughter is OK. She is in the infirmary. There are children in there," one woman said. | "I want to know that my daughter is OK. She is in the infirmary. There are children in there," one woman said. |
| The incident comes just days before Pope Francis is due to visit a prison in the northern city of Ciudad Juarez, an area notorious for violence between drugs cartels. | The incident comes just days before Pope Francis is due to visit a prison in the northern city of Ciudad Juarez, an area notorious for violence between drugs cartels. |
| There was no official word on how many people had died in Topo Chico until a statement by Nuevo Leon state Governor Jaime Rodriguez several hours after trouble broke out. | |
| "We are experiencing a tragedy," he said. | |
| Topo Chico prison | Topo Chico prison |
| "The authorities formed a security cordon and nobody escaped. Everything was under control at 1.30am," state public security spokesman Antonio Arguello told AFP news agency. | |
| Witnesses reported hearing shouts and explosions when the fire began in the early hours. | Witnesses reported hearing shouts and explosions when the fire began in the early hours. |
| Mexican newspaper El Universal said one of four buildings in the prison had been set alight by inmates burning furniture and rubbish. | Mexican newspaper El Universal said one of four buildings in the prison had been set alight by inmates burning furniture and rubbish. |
| The cause of the riot was not clear. One report said it had been triggered by an escape attempt by prisoners belonging to the notorious Zetas drugs cartel. | The cause of the riot was not clear. One report said it had been triggered by an escape attempt by prisoners belonging to the notorious Zetas drugs cartel. |
| Gang violence and break-outs are common in Mexico's notoriously overcrowded and corrupt prison system. | Gang violence and break-outs are common in Mexico's notoriously overcrowded and corrupt prison system. |
| In 2013, 13 people died in a battle between inmates at the La Pila jail in the central state of San Luis Potosi. | |
| A year earlier, 44 inmates were killed in a riot at the Apodaca prison in Monterrey. Another 30 prisoners escaped. The prison's director was later sacked. | |
| Are you in Monterrey? You can email your story to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. | Are you in Monterrey? You can email your story to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. |
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