Perhaps the deadliest prison fire in history has claimed the lives of at least 300 inmates at Comayagua in Honduras. A further 56 of the 853 prisoners are still missing.
The fire broke out late on Tuesday night, and it took more than an hour before it was brought under control. The cause is still unknown. Dozens of prisoners died trapped in their cells while police fired tear gas at relatives who tried to force their way in.
Firefighters say they were unable to free inmates because they did not have keys to their cells and they could not find the guards who did. The Honduran President has promised a 'full and transparent' investigation.
The disaster looks set to become the deadliest prison fire ever. The worst until now happened in America’s Ohio State Penitentiary at Columbus, where more than 320 inmates were killed in 1930.
(see also my blog of Dec 9, 2010)