Six dead after prison riot in western Guatemala

Bags containing the bodies of deceased inmates are seen in the back of a police car as police transfer the bodies of inmates who died after a riot broke out at the prison facility in the municipality of Cantel to a morgue in the municipality of Quetzaltenango, in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, May 20, 2021. REUTERS/Luis Echeverria

Six people were killed in a prison in western Guatemala after a riot broke out at the facility on Wednesday, authorities said in a statement.

The victims were found decapitated on a patio in the overcrowded prison in the town of Cantel in the state of Quetzaltenango, the police statement said.

A police source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the killings were part of a confrontation between a gang and drug traffickers.

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

source: reuters.com