- Deadly Riot Erupts in Honduran Women’s Prison
- Investigation Underway
- President Takes Drastic Measures
On Tuesday, at least 41 people were murdered in a riot at a women’s prison in Honduras.
It is believed that a brawl between rival gangs resulted in one gang torching a prison cell.
The majority of those slain, according to officials, perished in the fire, while others were shot, stabbed, or beaten to death.
It is being investigated how the inmates managed to smuggle automatic weapons and machetes into the prison.
President Xiomara Castro, who launched a crackdown on gangs last year, stated on social media that she was “shocked by the monstrous murder of women” and would take “drastic measures” in response.
She has fired Security Minister Ramón Sabillón and replaced him with Gustavo Sánchez, the director of the national police force.
Two of Central America’s most notorious criminal organizations, the 18th Street Gang and MS-13 were rivals, according to witnesses who spoke to the local media.
According to reports, members of one gang taunted their competitors, who then set fire to the mattresses in the cell housing the taunters.
Social media videos depicted a massive cloud of grey smoke ascending from the women’s prison, which is located approximately 25 kilometers north of the capital, Tegucigalpa, and houses approximately 900 inmates.
While the warring factions are incarcerated in separate sections of the prison, the wings are near together.
Tuesday began early in the morning local time with the outbreak of unrest.
According to those who survived, many of those who perished were seeking refuge from the flames in a restroom. Their burned corpses were discovered stacked on top of one another.
Gang members shot and stabbed others to death in corridors and a prison courtyard.
It is believed that some of the victims were not affiliated with either of the two gangs but were nonetheless swept up in the incident.
A former police cadet who admitted to murdering a fellow officer was serving a 15-year term.
Another victim was on the verge of being released after serving her sentence for abduction.
Corruption and gang violence have infiltrated government institutions and caused the homicide rate to rise in Honduras.
The country, together with El Salvador and Guatemala, transports cocaine from South America to the US.
Additionally, it has a history of lethal prison disturbances, which are frequently associated with organized crime.
In 2019, at least 18 individuals were killed in prison gang violence in the northern port city of Tela.
