At least 52 inmates died in a Mexican prison on Thursday as prisoners ignited a fire during a brawl between two rival groups, authorities said.
Governor Jaime Rodriguez said the clash erupted at the Topo Chico prison in the northern industrial city of Monterrey before midnight on Wednesday and that authorities brought it under control at 1:30 am on Thursday.
"We are experiencing a tragedy stemming from the difficult situation that they are living through at penitentiary facilities," Rodriguez told a news conference.
"We can confirm the deaths of 52 people. ... The process of identifying victims continues," he said, specifying later that they were all male inmates.
Twelve were injured, five of them in serious condition.
Rodriguez rejected speculation that women or children may have been inside at the time of the riot.
The fight involved a group run by a leader of the Zetas drug cartel, he said. During the brawl, inmates set fires in supply rooms.
Troops and federal police were deployed inside the prison to keep it under control. Rodriguez said no inmates escaped and no firearms were used.
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