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52 killed in northeastern Mexico prison riot

Relatives of inmates gather outside the Topo Chico prison in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey on February 11, 2016. (AFP PHOTO)

At least 52 people have died following a riot in a northern Mexico prison in the Nuevo Leon state, the state governor says.

"We are experiencing a tragedy," Jaime Rodriguez said following the pre-dawn riot at the Topo Chico prison in the industrial city of Monterrey.

Rodriguez said the dispute involved a faction led by a member of the infamous Zetas drug cartel.

Riot police have been deployed to the prison where smoke billows from a fire lit at the facility, according to media.

Local media added that the riot started before dawn and some prisoners may have escaped.

The riot is the latest in a series of deadly incidents in recent years to hit the country’s notorious prisons, which are used for dangerous convicts belonging to different drug gangs and the Mexican mafia.


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