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52 dead in riot at northern Mexico prison 52 dead in riot at northern Mexico prison
(35 minutes later)
MONTERREY, Mexico — Fifty-two inmates were killed and 12 injured in a brutal fight between two rival factions at a prison in northern Mexico on Thursday, the state governor said. MONTERREY, Mexico — A brutal fight between rival factions killed 52 inmates and injured 12 at a prison in northern Mexico on Thursday, the state governor said.
Nuevo Leon Gov. Jaime Rodriguez told a news conference the fight involved a faction led by a member of the infamous Zetas drug cartel. Nuevo Leon Gov. Jaime Rodriguez said there were no reported escapes and the battle, which sent flames billowing into the pre-dawn sky, didn’t involve guns.
Rescue workers could be seen bringing injured inmates from the Topo Chico prison in Monterrey, at least some with burns. Mexico’s deadliest prison riot in many years broke out just six days before Pope Francis is scheduled to visit another Mexican prison, in the border city of Ciudad Juarez in Chihuahua state.
The riot broke out just six days before Pope Francis is scheduled to visit another Mexican prison, in the border city of Ciudad Juarez in Chihuahua state. Rodriguez said at a news conference the fight involved a faction led by a member of the infamous Zetas drug cartel, Juan Pedro Zaldivar Farias, also known as Z-27.
Images broadcast by Milenio Television showed flames leaping from the prison, with a crowd of people bundled against the cold gathered outside the prison. Some shook and kicked at the prison gates, demanding to be allowed in. The Zetas once nearly controlled the area around Monterrey and Zaldivar Farias was a suspect in the 2010 shooting death of American David Hartley on Texas’ Falcon Lake. Hartley was reportedly shot while touring the lake with his wife on Jet Skis.
The fire appeared to have been extinguished by shortly after sunrise. The governor, said the fight broke out between supports of Zaldivar Farias and Jorge Ivan Hernandez Cantu, who has been identified by local news media as a member of the rival Gulf drug cartel.
Witnesses said the fire broke out at about 12:30 a.m. (1:30 a.m. EST; 0630 GMT) amid shouts and sounds of explosions. A thick cloud of smoke rose, apparently from inmates burning mattresses. The war between to two cartels bloodied Nuevo Leon state and neighboring Tamaulipas state between 2010 and 2012.
Images broadcast by Milenio Television showed flames leaping from the prison, with a crowd of people bundled against the cold gathered outside the prison. Some shook and kicked at the prison gates, demanding to be allowed in. Rescue workers could be seen bringing injured inmates from the Topo Chico prison in Monterrey, at least some with burns.
Rodriguez said the fight broke out just before midnight, and that inmates set fire to a storage area, causing a thick cloud of smoke.
The deadliest prison riot in recent memory also occurred in Nuevo Leon, in February 2012, when members of the Zetas murdered 44 members of the Gulf Cartel at the overcrowded Apodaca federal prison. One month earlier, 31 inmates died in a brawl in the neighboring state of Tamaulipas. That riot involved inmates fighting with makeshift knives, clubs and stones.
Mexico’s official National Human Rights Commission reported in 2013 that the country’s prison system is plagued by violence and cases of inmate control, symptoms of corruption and lack of resources.Mexico’s official National Human Rights Commission reported in 2013 that the country’s prison system is plagued by violence and cases of inmate control, symptoms of corruption and lack of resources.
The report, based on visits and interviews at 101 of Mexico’s most populated prisons, found that 65 of the facilities were run by inmates, not authorities.The report, based on visits and interviews at 101 of Mexico’s most populated prisons, found that 65 of the facilities were run by inmates, not authorities.
In one of the worst incidents in 25 years, 44 inmates died in a prison massacre in February 2012 in Apodaca, Nuevo Leon. After the incident, three top prison officials and 26 guards were accused of helping inmates escape in the confusion. The governor of Nuevo Leon state says 52 inmates were killed and 12 injured in a brutal fight between two rival factions Thursday at a prison in northern Mexico. ___
Mark Stevenson reported from Mexico City.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.