At least seven are killed and 17 wounded after riots and gunfights break out in Guatemala prison for EIGHT hours

  • Riot broke out at the Pavon Rehabilitation Model Farm in Fraijanes on Tuesday
  • Gunshots could be heard inside prison and some inmates were carrying guns 
  • Prisoners carried their own dead to entrance so authorities could identify them
  • 1,500 police officers and soldiers were sent to the prison to regain control of it 

By ASSOCIATED PRESS and REUTERS

Published: | Updated:

At least seven people were killed and 17 injured after a shooting broke out at a prison in Guatemala on Tuesday. 

National Civil Police said the dead were all prisoners at the Pavon Rehabilitation Model Farm in the municipality of Fraijanes, about 10 miles east of Guatemala City.  

Prisoners had control of the facility for some eight hours on Tuesday. Gunshots could be heard inside the prison and some inmates could be seen carrying guns. 

At least seven people were killed and 17 injured after a shooting broke out at a prison in Guatemala on Tuesday. Pictured are two covered bodies in the entrance of the Pavon Rehabilitation Model Farm as authorities tried to take control of the jail

 At least seven people were killed and 17 injured after a shooting broke out at a prison in Guatemala on Tuesday. Pictured are two covered bodies in the entrance of the Pavon Rehabilitation Model Farm as authorities tried to take control of the jail 

Prisoners had control of the facility for some eight hours on Tuesday. The prisoners even carried their own dead to the entrance so authorities could identify them

 Prisoners had control of the facility for some eight hours on Tuesday. The prisoners even carried their own dead to the entrance so authorities could identify them

The prisoners even carried their own dead to the entrance so authorities could identify them. 

Some 1,500 police officers and soldiers were sent to the scene, and regained control by late afternoon, officials said.

'Regarding the number of deceased inmates, there are seven confirmed. That is a preliminary number,' said Carlos Morales, a spokesman for Guatemala's prison system. 

Some 1,500 police officers and soldiers were sent to the scene, and regained control by late afternoon, officials said

 Some 1,500 police officers and soldiers were sent to the scene, and regained control by late afternoon, officials said

Firefighters carry the body of an inmate who died during the shooting on Tuesday

Firefighters carry the body of an inmate who died during the shooting on Tuesday 

Firemen and policemen carry a wounded inmate out of the Pavon prison on Tuesday

Firemen and policemen carry a wounded inmate out of the Pavon prison on Tuesday 

Prison officials, rescue workers and police mill around several covered bodies that lie at the entrance area of the Pavon Rehabilitation Model Farm after the shooting was contained

Prison officials, rescue workers and police mill around several covered bodies that lie at the entrance area of the Pavon Rehabilitation Model Farm after the shooting was contained 

Mario Cruz, a spokesman for the volunteer firefighters, said eight people were killed and 17 injured. 

'So far we have already removed seven bodies and we are waiting for the last one,' he said. 

Camilo Gilberto Morales, director of Guatemala's penitentiary system, said the gunfire in one part of the prison appeared to have stemmed from an altercation between inmates. 

'According to preliminary information it was a confrontation between an inmate in an alleged state of intoxication, shooting at another inmate,' he told local television channel TN23. 

Inmates inside the Pavon Rehabilitation Model Farm watch special task force police taking position on the perimeter after a shooting broke out inside the jail

Inmates inside the Pavon Rehabilitation Model Farm watch special task force police taking position on the perimeter after a shooting broke out inside the jail 

Cecilio Chacaj of the municipal firefighters said 10 prisoners suffered bullet wounds.

An Interior Ministry spokesman said officials were still gathering information about the incident. 

The Pavon prison, some 10 miles from the Guatemalan capital, houses more than 4,100 inmates, according to official data. It was originally built for 900 people.   

In 2016, a riot at the same prison left 14 people dead.  

Special task force police take position outside the Pavon Rehabilitation Model Farm

The Pavon prison, some 10 miles from the Guatemalan capital, houses more than 4,100 inmates, according to official data. It was originally built for 900 people

The Pavon prison, some 10 miles from the Guatemalan capital, houses more than 4,100 inmates, according to official data. It was originally built for 900 people

Most watched News videos