At least 46 female inmates were killed during a violent gang confrontation at a prison.
An alarming gang conflict at a prison resulted in at least 41 female fatalities. The event unfolded on Tuesday, June 20, in Tamara, Honduras, a location about 30 miles north-west of Tegucigalpa, as confirmed by Yuri Mora, the national police investigative agency spokesperson.
The victims were discovered in Centro Femenino de Adaptacion Social, a women’s correctional institution with a capacity for 900 inmates.
Most of the victims were burned in a fire, started by a gang member in a rival cell, while others were shot, stabbed or beaten to death. Seven women were subsequently hospitalized in Tegucigalpa for gunshot and stab wounds.
Responding to the horrifying incident, Honduran President Xiomara Castro expressed dismay at the “brutal killing” of the inmates. She associated the deadly event with the destructive influence of infamous street gangs within the prison. She took to Twitter to extend her condolences to the affected families and assured them of “drastic measures” in retaliation to the incident.
As revealed by Delma Ordonez, president of an association for prisoners’ families, who spoke to Reuters, the conflict sparked between members of two rival gangs, Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha. The incident reportedly involved collusion with prison guards. Investigations will seek to discover how automatic weapons and machetes were smuggled into the prison.
Family members of the inmates congregated outside the prison seeking news about their loved ones.
Julissa Villanueva, the chief of the Honduran prison system, suggested that the riot was a response to the authorities’ recent crackdown on illegal activities inside the prisons. In a televised broadcast, Villanueva declared the authorities’ resolute stance against organized crime.
This tragic episode represents the deadliest incident in a women’s detention facility in the area since 2017, highlighting the chronic issue of gang domination and violence in Honduran prisons.
The event echoes a similar tragedy in 2012, when a fire broke out in a prison in Comayagua, Honduras, resulting in the death of 361 inmates.
