At least 17 dead in Mexico jail riot

At least 17 prisoners died in a jail riot in Mexico near the United States border on Monday, some in a fire after a gun battle between rival gangs.

The riot started in the early hours of Monday in Reynosa across from the Texan border, a manufacturing city where the powerful Gulf drug cartel is active, the local state attorney general’s office said.

“There was a shootout and then a fire. There are charred bodies among the dead,” said the attorney general’s office spokesperson.

It was not clear how the riot or the fire started.

Heavily armed police quelled the fight and surrounded the prison, but some family members pushed their way in, desperate to find out if their relatives were among the dead, Mexican media said.

Mexico has seen a surge in prison riots this month. A drug war between rival gangs has spilled over into badly crowded jails packed with traffickers as President Felipe Calderon increases arrests and tries to quash violence.

Despite the deployment of 36 000 troops across Mexico, drug violence over smuggling routes is spiralling, with more than 3 725 people killed this year.—Reuters