TEGUCIGALPA – At least 18 inmates were killed and 16 wounded during a fight between rival gangs in a Honduran penitentiary on Friday, authorities said.
It was not immediately clear how the violence began, though an unidentified police official said the deaths occurred due to a dispute between warring gangs.
The government declared a state of emergency in the prison system on Wednesday, transferring control to security forces in a bid to clamp down on a recent escalation of violence.
Fights in Honduras’ overcrowded prisons are frequent as street gangs vie for control inside the institutions.(Reuters)
