Clashes at Venezuela jail kill 29 inmates

At least 29 prisoners were killed and 19 police wounded in clashes at a jail in western Venezuela Friday, authorities said. The incident at the police station jail in the town of Acarigua, in Portuguesa state, occurred when police special forces (FAES) tried to stop a “massive prison break” which resulted in the deaths of 29 inmates, according to Portuguesa public security secretary Oscar Valero. The prisoners received the officers with “a hail of gunfire” while detonating three grenades, which injured 19 police, Valero told reporters. Violence is a problem in such detention facilities, where inmates are supposed to be held for a maximum of 48 hours, Una Ventana a la Libertad said. The Acarigua jail has capacity for 60 inmates but was holding 500, according to the police report.