At least 52 people have died after a riot sparked a fire in a Mexican prison on Thursday. The deaths occurred at the Topo Chico facility near Monterrey in northern Mexico. Twelve others were reportedly injured. Initial reports suggest the incident involved the notorious Zetas drug cartels, the local governor said. Violence broke out over night as rival gangs confronted each other. Control has since been wrested back by prison officials and no inmates escaped during the incident.
Outside the prison, relatives of inmates demanded updates on the situation. "I want to know that my daughter is OK. She is in the infirmary. There are children in there," one woman said, according to the BBC. The prison sits in the region of Nuevo Leon, an area notorious for gangland violence associated with narcotics. "We are experiencing a tragedy," the governor said.
