At least 357 people are reported dead in Honduras after a fire swept through a prison, the attorney general's office announced. Relatives say some prisoners escaped by breaking through the roof and leaping from the jail. Many died from burns or suffocation in their cells because a guard with keys could not be found. The fire broke out late Tuesday night and took more than an hour to put out. The prison holds more than 800 inmates, much more than its capacity allows. It's not clear what caused the fire.
Fernando Antonio / AP Photo
Injured inmates being evacuated. There were 820 inmates in the prison at the time, said police spokesman Hactor Ivan Mejia. Dozens more were injured and admitted to hospitals, while the rest are believed to have fled.
A wounded man is carried on a stretcher at Escuela hospital in the capital Tegucigalpa.
Relatives of inmates wait for news outside the prison, in the town of Comayagua.
More relatives wait outside.
Army and police personnel stand guard.
An official reads a list of inmates deceased to a crowd of relatives gathering outside.
The blaze is one of the worst prison fires ever reported in Latin America.
