Colombia’s prison agency said on Tuesday that at least 49 inmates died and 30 were injured after a fire broke out during an overnight riot in a prison in the southwestern Colombian city of Tulua. State National Penitentiary and Prison Institute Director Tito Castellanos made statements about the incident. “The inmates lighted some mats, and a conflagration occurred that unfortunately triggered the death of 49 prisoners,” Castellanos said.
Castellanos announced that the Tulua fire department was able to control the fire in the unit which houses some 180 inmates and evacuate the injured inmates to local health centers. He added that some guards were injured when they tried to help the inmates, and no prisoner escaped during the riot. Colombian President Ivan Duque lamented the events and expressed his solidarity with the families of the deceased. Meanwhile, President-elect Gustavo Petro also regretted what happened in the prison and sent his condolences to the bereaved families.