Hundreds thought dead in Honduras jail fire

More than 300 prisoners died trapped in their cells as fire swept through a jail in Honduras.

Inmates screamed through the bars for release, but firefighters said that guards with the right keys had vanished.

A total of 356 people on the prison roster are unaccounted for among 852 prisoners.

“The majority could be dead, though others could have suffered burns, escaped or survived,” said a spokeswoman.

The fire broke out on Tuesday night at the prison in Comayagua, a town 90 miles from the capital, Tegucigalpa.

Comayagua fire department head Josue Garcia said he saw “horrific” scenes while trying to put out the fire, saying inmates rioted in attempts to escape. He said “some 100 prisoners were burned to death or suffocated in their cells.”

“We couldn’t get them out because we didn’t have the keys and couldn’t find the guards who had them,” Mr Garcia said.

Officials are investigating whether the fire was triggered by rioting prisoners or by an electrical short-circuit, said Danilo Orellana, head of the national prison system.

One prisoner told a radio station that someone started screaming, “Fire, fire,” and the prisoners called for help.

“For a while, nobody listened. But after a few minutes, which seemed like an eternity, a guard appeared with keys and let us out,” he said.

Hundreds of relatives rushed to Santa Teresa Hospital in Comayagua state to learn the fate of their loved ones.

President Porfirio Lobo declared an emergency in July 2010 in nine of the 24 prisons in Honduras.

His security minister at the time called the prisons “universities of crime” that had been overwhelmed by overcrowding.

Outraged relatives of dead inmates tried to storm the gates of the prison to recover the bodies but were driven back by police officers firing tear gas.

Dozens of the relatives hurled rocks at officers.

“We want to see the body,” said Juan Martinez, whose son was reported dead. “We’ll be here until we get to do that.”

Hundreds of other relatives rushed to Santa Teresa Hospital in Comayagua state to learn the fate of their loved ones.

Police said it would take at least three months to identify victims, some burned beyond recognition, because DNA tests will be required.