A huge prison riot in one of the world's most notorious prisons has seen 10 guards and four inmates killed – and the army was called in to stop it.
The shocking incident occurred when gunmen in armoured vehicles attacked the Cereso state prison in Ciudad Juarez, in Mexico, just a short walk from the border with El Paso, Texas.
The Chihuahua state prosecutor’s office said in a statement that at around 7am yesterday (January 1) “various armoured vehicles arrived at the prison and gunmen opened fire on guards”.
READ MORE: Four dead after helicopters collide in mid-air crash with 'debris flying everywhere'
In addition to those killed, 13 people were wounded and at least 24 inmates escaped.
Mexican soldiers and state police regained control of the prison later on and the state prosecutor’s office said its personnel were investigating.
During the chaos, dozens of inmates managed to escape the prison – with many of them though to be linked to various drug cartels.
It is thought that 24 people managed to flee, with witnesses calming that the gunmen were “dressed in black” and “better armed” than the police.
There are also several reports of the gunmen shooting at innocent people driving past the scene as it was taking place.
Images the scene show guns and bullets strewn across the grass in front of the prison.
Drug cartel assassins hand out Christmas presents to kids as crime boss plays Santa
A spokesman for the Chihuahua Prosecutor's Office said: “The State Attorney General's Office reports that the situation at the Social Readaptation Center No. 3 in Ciudad Juárez is currently under control, for which reason investigations have begun to determine the balance of what happened.
“Personnel from the Mexican Army, the National Guard, the State Public Security Secretariat and the State Investigation Agency, collaborate with the State Attorney General's Office to restore tranquillity in Cereso.
Up to 100 'bloodthirsty illegal fox hunting incidents recorded in just six weeks
“So far, the investigative authority has documented the deaths of 14 people, including 10 prison security and custody officers, and four people deprived of liberty.”
A massive police investigation has now begun to try and track down the fleeing prisoners, with raids on homes in the area being reported by local news outlets.
To get more stories from Daily Star delivered straight to your inbox sign up to one of our free newsletters here .
READ MORE:
- For more of the latest news from the world of the Daily Star, check out our homepage
Horrific demon turkey head found in Tesco bird ruins family's Christmas
'UK's biggest threat isn't Mad Vlad but "weak" Germany doing deal with him' warns expert
'Christmas ruined' by rotting Lidl turkey that 'looks like scene from horror film Alien'
Woman who gave back £27m accidently put in bank account has had a dramatic career change
Source: Read Full Article
