Prisoners of the Tuluá prison caused a fire that leaves, until now, 49 dead and 30 wounded.
Tito Castellanos, director of Inpec, confirmed the death toll in the Tuluá prison.
According to General Castellanos, Around 1 in the morning on Tuesday, a riot broke out in that prison. The inmates set fire to mattresses and a conflagration was generated.
Due to the events, 49 prisoners died and there are at least another 30 wounded, including Inpec guards.
(Also: The clues that allowed to find the body of Adriana Pinzón)
The situation occurred in pavilion number 8 with about 180 prisoners. According to reports, the fire started because prisoners burned mattresses to prevent guards from stopping a riot.
“There was a call at almost 1:20 in the morning about a possible riot. (…) It is verified that there was a burning of many mattresses, and so far there are about 50 people transferred to care centers “, reported the Inpec.
Some of the injured have already been taken to hospitals for treatment. The difficult situation is attended by Inpec, the National Police and Firefighters.
This case is similar to what happened in La Modelo prison, in Bogotá, when on the night of March 21, 2020 -in the midst of protests by inmates asking for protection measures against covid-19- 24 inmates died and more than 100 people were injured.
Since Monday night, a confusing situation has arisen inside the Tuluá medium-security prison,
But at 1:00 a.m. on Tuesday in that prison, located on Carrera 29 with Calle 14 in that municipality of Valle, the hubbub and some sirens could be heard in the prison.
(Also: ‘Children’s attendance at the corraleja is a tradition’: mayor of El Espinal)
Then, from the outside, residents in the sector saw flames and smoke in the prison. The first versions referred to a fight and some prisoners set fire to mattresses. But the fire got out of control and the pavilion was engulfed in calls.
The Volunteer Firefighters were alerted to the situation and assigned four units to deal with an emergency. Then the arrival of four other rescuers and an ambulance was requested.
For his part, President Iván Duque regretted what happened in that prison and called for urgent investigations to clarify what happened.
(You may be interested: The report of the Truth Commission comes to light)
“We regret the events that occurred in the Tuluá prison, Valle del Cauca. I am in contact with @DInpec, General Tito Castellanos and I have given instructions to carry out investigations to clarify this terrible situation. My solidarity with the families of the victims” , said the president.
We regret the events that occurred in the prison of Tuluá, Valle del Cauca. I am in contact with him @DInpecGeneral Tito Castellanos and I have given instructions to carry out investigations to clarify this terrible situation. My solidarity with the families of the victims
— Ivan Duke (@IvanDuque) June 28, 2022
Developing…
TIME