Prison riot in northern Mexico leaves at least 13 dead

At least 13 people were killed after a riot broke out in a prison in the northern Mexican state of Nuevo Leon, a state security official said on Tuesday (10 October).

The officials said that the fight broke out inside the Cadereyta prison located outside the city of Monterrey on Monday night and ended when authorities used lethal force. Nuevo Leon state security spokesman Aldo Fasci said that the casualty rate might rise as eight people were in a critical condition, ABC reported.

Giving the detailed information about the incident, Fasci said that it all started with a protest that soon took the ugly face of a riot and got out of control. A prisoner was killed and several guards were taken hostage.

He added that when all attempts to control the situation failed authorities decided to use lethal measures to handle the matter.

"Around five in the afternoon, the decision was made by security forces to use lethal force to prevent the murder of guards as well as stop the murder of inmates. If we had not taken this decision, we would be talking about many more deaths," Fasci told Reuters.

The state security spokesman said no guards were killed in the violence, but an officer was seriously wounded. He added that autopsy would be required to know how many were killed by other inmates and how many by authorities.

This is not the first time deadly riot has happened in a Mexico prison. Riots in Mexico prisons are frequently heard of where jails are overcrowded and unsafe. Some facilities are effectively run by gangs and inmates.

In July, around 28 people were left dead after two rival gangs had a huge fight in a state prison in Acapulco city.