HONDURAS: Distraught relatives surround Honduras prison waiting for information about fate of loved ones after fire kills more than 350 inmates

Record ID: 863254

  • Title: HONDURAS: Distraught relatives surround Honduras prison waiting for information about fate of loved ones after fire kills more than 350 inmates
  • Date: 16th February 2012
  • Summary: COMAYAGUA, HONDURAS (FEBRUARY 15, 2012) (REUTERS) POLICE OUTSIDE PRISON VARIOUS OF FORENSIC SCIENTISTS CARRYING OUT BODIES FROM PRISON (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) JOSE MANUEL GOMEZ, RED CROSS VOLUNTEER, SAYING: "It's dramatic, horrible. We saw a completely charred body and we are placing them into bags in parts. Because when we grab them, they disintegrate. Shocking." VARIOUS OF RELATIVES CRYING OUTSIDE PRISON (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) RELATIVE OF INMATE, YOLANDA ULLOA, SAYING: "I've been told not many survived and I didn't find his name in the list of survivors. I expect a miracle from God he's not dead." MORE OF RELATIVES CRYING OUTSIDE PRISON / WOMAN IN SHOCK BEING CARRIED AWAY (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) RELATIVE OF INMATE, MIRNA ROMERO , SAYING: "We know he's dead because he's not mentioned and he was in section 10." MORE OF RELATIVES OUTSIDE PRISON
  • Embargoed: 2nd March 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Honduras, Honduras
  • City:
  • Country: Honduras
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,Disasters
  • Reuters ID: LVACBTB4XCRTW50T28V06WTR9FLM
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: Crowds of relatives gathered outside a Honduran jail on Wednesday (February 15), waiting to hear if their loved ones were among 350 victims killed in a deadly prison fire.
    The attorney general's office said 357 people died in the blaze that began late on Tuesday (February 15) night at the prison in Comayagua, about 75 km (45 miles) north of the capital Tegucigalpa.
    Forensic scientists removed bodies from the prison wrapped in white sheets.
    Jose Manuel Gomez, a Red Cross volunteer, described the harrowing scenes at the prison.
    "It's dramatic, horrible. We saw a completely charred body and we are placing them into bags in parts. Because when we grab them, they disintegrate. Shocking."
    Officials will have to use dental records and DNA in many cases to identify those killed.
    Yolanda Ulloa, a relative of an inmate said she hoped for a miracle.
    "I've been told not many survived and I didn't find his name in the list of survivors. I expect a miracle from God he's not dead."
    Worried and angry relatives surrounded the prison on Wednesday morning, at one point throwing rocks at police and trying to force their way inside the prison.
    Police responded by firing shots into the air and shooting tear gas at protesters, most of whom were women.
    "We know he's dead because he's not mentioned and he was in section 10," said Mirna Romero, another relative of an inmate.
    It was one of the worst prison fires ever in Latin America.
    Honduras has the highest murder rate in the world, according to the United Nations, and there are frequent riots and clashes between rival street gangs in its cramped prisons.
    But it was not yet clear if the prison fire was started during a riot or if it was an accident.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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