An incident at a prison in Honduras resulted in the deaths of two inmates and injuries to three others early Thursday. The country has been dealing with issues related to gang violence and overcrowded prisons for a long time.
Authorities reported that 72 prisoners tried to escape from a men’s prison in Tamara, located about 19 miles from the capital city of Tegucigalpa. The details of how the casualties occurred were not immediately clear.
Military police were called to the scene to handle the situation. Colonel Ramiro Muñoz, the commander of the force, mentioned that one prisoner died at the prison, while another passed away at a nearby hospital.
“Everything is now under control,” Muñoz stated to local media. “Incidents like these are not uncommon in prisons worldwide.”
According to Muñoz, the prisoners barricaded themselves in a section of the prison around 4 a.m. to distract the guards. The military police responded to the situation, but further details were not provided.
Muñoz also mentioned that a forensic investigation would be conducted to address any speculations surrounding the incident.
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Last year, a riot at the women’s prison in Tamara resulted in the death of 46 women. This incident prompted discussions about reforming the prison system in Honduras and possibly adopting a zero-tolerance approach similar to that of neighboring El Salvador, as implemented by President Nayib Bukele.
In a move to address gang violence and enhance the prison system, President Xiomara Castro announced the construction of a new “megaprison” with a capacity of 20,000 individuals in June.
