KEY POINTS

  • A brawl broke out at Cereso No. 3 prison in a Mexican city near El Paso, Texas
  • Security was intensified inside the prison to maintain order
  • 600 people, including employees of a nearby court building, were evacuated

A fight broke between rival gangs at a prison in Juárez, a Mexican city along the border near El Paso, Texas, resulting in the death of two inmates.

As per a statement issued by the Chihuahua Attorney General's Office, turmoil erupted inside the prison at around 1 p.m. Thursday, during the family visitation time, El Paso Times reported.

The visitors, including children, ran for cover as shots were being fired. The disruption was reportedly caused by a fight between gangs in the prison.

Unable to contain the situation, prison officials called on Juarez municipal police, the state police, the Mexican army, and the National Guard to help control the ensuing chaos.

More than 600 people, including visitors, prison staff and employees of a nearby court building, were evacuated following the riot.

While the officials have yet not confirmed the names of the rival groups involved in the fight, local media reported it was a violent encounter between members of the Sinaloa cartel – Mexicles and Los Chapos gangs.

It was earlier reported that the brawl had led to three deaths, but officials later confirmed that two prisoners had died while four were injured.

The bodies of the deceased inmates have been sent to the medical examiner for an autopsy. The incident is under investigation.

The state officials have confirmed that order was restored at the prison following the conflict. Furthermore, additional security was deployed inside the facility.

Juarez is witnessing an unprecedented rise in murders, including beheadings and dismemberment. Local police linked this surge with consistent fighting between rival criminal gangs in the region.

There have been years of conflict between gangs like Sinaloa cartel-backed Artistas Asesinos, the La Linea and Aztecas gangs, and the Juarez cartel.

Drug cartels are resorting to activities like prison massacres, car bombings, blocking of roads, and other violent measures to shelter their illegal activities.

On August 11, members of a drug cartel burned down over two dozen stores and blocked roads in western Mexico in response to a military operation.

Earlier in January, a riot erupted at the Apodaca prison, outside the city of Monterrey, over extortion of money. More than 50 inmates were injured in the incident.

A riot and fire left at least 51 inmates dead at a prison in Colombia, where facilities such as this one in Cali are often overcrowded
A riot and fire left at least 51 inmates dead at a prison in Colombia, where facilities such as this one in Cali are often overcrowded AFP / Luis ROBAYO