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12 people die in Venezuelan prison riot

Xinhua, April 27, 2017 Adjust font size:

At least 12 people died and another 11 were injured Tuesday during an outbreak of violence at the Jose Antonio Anzoategui prison, in the eastern state of Anzoategui, Venezuelan local media reported on Wednesday.

The private daily newspaper El Universal quoted the National Guard as saying that a fight broke out between prisoners between 1:00-6:00 a.m. Tuesday, when a group identified as "Los Caraquenos" tried to take control of the penitentiary.

Faced with this attempt, said El Universal, a group led by prisoners known as "El Balu", "El Yan" and "Casanova", sought to contain the offensive, resulting in the deaths of 12 people.

The daily Ultimas Noticias quoted Venezuela's Minister of Prison Affairs Iris Varela as saying that of the dead, "nine were killed by bullets, two due to an overdose of drugs and one by beating."

She added that 10 people would appear in court on Wednesday, charged with being responsible for the violence.

Varela also accused the opposition to the government of President Nicolas Maduro of instigating the attack by paying 50,000 U.S. dollars to 15 inmates.

She said that she had proof that the National Assembly, held by the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable, had paid this sum to raise tensions in the troubled country.

"They offered 50,000 U.S. dollars. We have had a video of this since yesterday but we do not want to make it public as it contains inappropriate images of a criminal nature," claimed Varela. Endit