Dozens dead after jailbreak sparks fire in Venezuelan holding cells
Caracas — A total of 68 people died on Wednesday during an attempted jailbreak in Venezuela after a fire engulfed police holding cells in one of the worst tragedies in years in a notoriously violent and overcrowded prison system. Attorney-general Tarek William Saab gave the death toll in the pre-dawn mayhem at the police headquarters in northern Carabobo state, blaming a fire thought to have been started deliberately. Carlos Nieto, head of a prisoners’ rights group called Una Ventana a la Libertad (A Window on Freedom), said that some prisoners burnt to death and others choked after setting fire to mattresses and stealing a guard’s gun in an attempt to break out. The dead included two women who were visiting the jail, the attorney-general said, adding that four prosecutors have been named to investigate. Photos taken by Nieto’s group showed the body of a man with burns and firefighters trying to put out flames. Relatives of those being kept in the detention centre tried to force the...
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