A FAST-moving fire has swept through a Venezuelan police station where prisoners were being kept in crowded cells, killing 68 people in one of the worst catastrophes involving the nation’s prison system, authorities said.
Distraught families spent yesterday clamouring for information and at times clashing with police in riot gear outside the station until Venezuela’s chief prosecutor declared on Twitter that 66 men and two women had been killed in the blaze.
Prosecutor Tarek William Saab said four prosecutors had been named to determine what happened and who is responsible for the tragedy in Valencia, a town 100 miles west of the capital Caracas. He added the nation’s public ministry would “guarantee a thorough investigation to immediately shed light on the painful events that have put dozens of Venezuelan families in mourning”.
Human rights groups immediately criticised Venezuelan authorities for failing to address the rapidly declining conditions in the nation’s jails.
As Venezuela plummets into an economic crisis worse than the Great Depression, prisoners in often crowded jails are going hungry and have staged protests in recent months.
Inmates are also frequently able to obtain weapons and drugs with the help of corrupt guards, while heavily armed groups control cellblock fiefdoms.
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