LA PAZ: A prison riot in central Bolivia killed four people and left 11 wounded yesterday after inmates armed with guns and knives attacked each other, officials said.
Violence erupted overnight in the El Abra prison in Cochabamba city, 400 kilometers east of La Paz, forcing police to lose control of the jail for several hours.
“So far we have counted four dead and 11 wounded. The dead have now been removed and the wounded taken to hospital,” said Andres Cuevas, a regional government official.
The riot was sparked by a rivalry between Bolivian and foreign prison gangs, according to the regional police commander, Alberto Suarez.
“Because of these power struggles, fighting has broken out in which unfortunately people have been wounded by knives and firearms,” Suarez told Bolivia’s Radio Fides, without naming the nationalities of the foreign inmates.
AFP
