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| Prison Fire Leaves 26 Dead in Chile |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 05/22/2001 |
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Angry inmates set mattresses and blankets on fire at a prison in Chile, sparking a blaze that spread fast and killed 26 inmates who were trapped in a dormitory, the government said Monday. Most of the 32 inmates housed at the prison dorm in the northern city of Iquique were young, first-time offenders, Radio Chilena reported. 'The victims burned or suffocated to death,' regional governor Patricio Zapata said in the port city 1,050 miles north of Santiago. 'They were not able to escape because the door of the dormitory was, of course, closed,' he said. 'We now lament the deaths of 26 people.' Two inmates and two officers were hospitalized with injuries. Police later used tear gas to scatter relatives of inmates who tried to enter the prison, anxiously seeking information, Radio Cooperativa of Santiago reported from Iquique. Nearly 1,000 people gathered at the entrance to the heavily guarded building. Zapata said the riot broke out late Sunday and the flames spread quickly after inmates placed mattresses and blankets against the door of the dormitory and set them on fire. 'The [officers] tried to put the flames out but lost control of the situation' and called firefighters in, he said. An unidentified inmate who spoke to Radio Chilena called the fire an isolated incident, and said the officers may have been negligent. |
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