SIXTEEN prisoners were killed and five wounded in a prison fight at a Mexican jail that closed out a violent 2019 for the country.
The fight broke out on New Year’s Eve in a prison in the state of Zacatecas, in north-central Mexico, and was triggered by a football game, according to local media.
The riot happened at around 2.30pm local time in the Regional Center for Social Reintegration in the town of Cieneguillas, and was only brought under control by 5pm.
Fifteen of the victims died at the prison and one died later at a hospital.
After the fight, one inmate was arrested with a firearm, and three more guns were found in the prison, as well as various knives.
In a press conference yesterday, state Public Security Minister Ismael Camberos said all prison staff working during the fight and on the previous shift would be investigated.
He said not all of the victims had died from gunshot wounds.
Some were stabbed and others beaten with objects.
No guards or police were hurt.
Camberos said officials believe the guns may have been brought in during visiting hours on New Year’s Eve, as a search of the prison over the weekend found no weapons.
He said four guns had been confiscated after the mass brawl.
The prison holds members of five criminal groups, including the Gulf Cartel, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel.
More than 100 inmates were relocated after the fight in an attempt to prevent further violence.
The government has launched an investigation to find those responsible and how the weapons got into the prison.
The five wounded inmates are in stable condition, Camberos said.
The fight is another blow to Mexican President Lopez Obrador, who took power in December 2018 and promised to reduce record levels of violence.
Mexico has a long history of deadly prison clashes.
Such killings in Mexican jails frequently involve score settling between rival cartel members or a battle for control of the prison’s illicit business.
In October, six inmates were killed in a prison in Morelos state.
In September, Nuevo Leon state closed the infamous Topo Chico prison, the site of many murders over the years.
In February 2016, 49 prisoners died there during rioting when two factions of the Zetas cartel clashed.
