At least 46 people killed in prison riot in Venezuela

Healthcare workers and members of the Bolivarian national police watch as an ambulance arrives with prisoners outside a hospital after a riot erupted inside a prison in Guanare, Venezuela May 1, 2020. REUTERS/Manuel Alvarado

by: CNN Wire

Posted: May 3, 2020 / 03:40 PM MDT

Updated: May 3, 2020 / 03:40 PM MDT

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(CNN) — At least 46 people have died in a riot at the Los Llanos Penitentiary in the Venezuelan state of Portuguesa, according to an opposition lawmaker from the area.

Dozens of others were also injured in the riot that began during an alleged escape attempt, National Assembly representative for Portuguesa Maria Beatriz Martinez told CNN. Martinez said a grenade exploded during the attempted escape, causing injuries to at least one officer.

The prison’s director, Carlos Toro, is among those injured, according to the non-governmental organization Venezuelan Prisons Observatory, which works to improve human rights for prisoners, according to its website.

Martinez tweeted that the riot “is a clear reflection” of Venezuela’s failed state. She also criticized Venezuela Minister of Penitentiary Affairs Iris Varela’s prison human rights reform plan.

The Ministry of Penitentiary Affairs and Ministry of Information have yet to respond to CNN’s request for comment.

Correction: A previous version of this story misspelled the name of the National Assembly representative for Portuguesa. It is Maria Beatriz Martinez.