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Mexican prison riot leaves 52 people dead

11 February 2016 17:02 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. At least 52 people have died following a riot in a northern Mexico prison in the Nuevo Leon state, the state governor says, APA reports quoting Reuters.

"We are experiencing a tragedy," Jaime Rodriguez said following the pre-dawn riot at the Topo Chico prison in the industrial city of Monterrey.

Rodriguez said the dispute involved a faction led by a member of the infamous Zetas drug cartel.

Riot police have been deployed to the prison where smoke billows from a fire lit at the facility, according to media.

Local media added that the riot started before dawn and some prisoners may have escaped.

The riot is the latest in a series of deadly incidents in recent years to hit the country’s notorious prisons, which are used for dangerous convicts belonging to different drug gangs and the Mexican mafia.