The blaze swept the facility in Carabobo state after prisoners set fire to mattresses in an attempt to break out; officers fire teargas at relatives of detainees as families demand more information
Police used tear gas to disperse crowds desperate for news of loved ones. pics/afp
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A fire allegedly set during an attempted jailbreak from Venezuelan police holding cells has killed 68 people, the country's top prosecutor and an inmates' rights group said.
The blaze at the detention facility in Carabobo state is the latest in a series of deadly incidents in Venezuela's overcrowded jails.
"In light of the terrible events that took place in the Carabobo state police headquarters, where 68 people died in a presumed fire, we have appointed four prosecutors... to clarify these dramatic events," chief prosecutor Tarek William Saab said on Twitter.
Carlos Nieto, head of Una Ventana a la Libertad (A Window on Freedom), said that "some burned to death and others asphyxiated" after setting fire to mattresses and stealing a guard's gun in an attempt to break out. The dead included two women thought to have been visiting the jail at the time of the incident.
Rafael Lacava, the governor of Carabobo state, expressed his "consternation" over the events. "A serious and profound investigation has been initiated to find the causes and those responsible for these regrettable events," he said on Twitter, expressing solidarity with relatives of those who died.
Relatives of those being kept in the detention centre tried to force their way into Carabobo state police headquarters. After one officer was injured, the crowd was dispersed by police firing tear gas.
A video posted on Twitter showed dozens of people demanding information in front of police guarding the site. Venezuela's prisons suffer from dire overcrowding and a shortage of basic supplies, struggling under the deepening economic crisis that is gripping the once-wealthy oil-producing country.
Because of the lack of space in penitentiaries, convicts are often sent to police holding cells meant to be used as temporary pens for suspects facing charges or court hearings, where detainees are supposed to spend a maximum of 48 hours.
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