At least 49 prisoners died and about 30 were injured by a fire caused by inmates early Tuesday in a Colombian prison, official sources reported.
The incident, which occurred in the prison of the city of Tuluá, in the department of Valle del Cauca (southwest), began around 1:00 am (local time) with a fight or an escape attempt in which some prisoners set fire to mattresses, according to General Tito Castellanos, director of the National Penitentiary and Prison Institute (Inpec), quoted by the newspaper El Tiempo.
The flames spread rapidly and affected much of the prison.
"We regret the events that occurred in the Tuluá prison, Valle del Cauca," Colombian President Iván Duque wrote on his Twitter social network account.
With information from El Tiempo and Efe