Prison Protests Due to Overcrowding Ends in 23 Dead, 83 Wounded

At least 23 prisoners died and 83 were wounded in the La Modelo Prison in Bogotá during the riots last night, the Colombian Ministry of Justice reported on Sunday. According to the Ministry, several prisoners protested the overcrowding of these facilities amid fears of the coronavirus spreading.

"The result of the escape attempt in La Modelo was 23 dead and 83 wounded,  of which 32 are in hospital centers," the ministry said in a statement.

On Saturday, the inmates of approximately 10 jails in the country protested the measures taken to deal with the health crisis.

In the La Modelo Prison, prisoners have accused the regime of Ivan Duque of failing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Among the penitentiary centers that registered protests were La Modelo and La Picota, in Bogotá, also, as confirmed by the mayor of Medellín, Daniel Quintero Calle, in the Pedregal and Bellavista prisons in the Aburrá Valley.

According to authorities, seven guards at La Modelo prison were injured during the outbreak of violence and two of them are in critical condition.

Cabello stated that no prisoner managed to escape as the attempts "were controlled". "Here there was a criminal escape plan that was thwarted," added the official.