ACAPULCO, Mexico: At least 28 inmates were killed in a brutal prison fight on Thursday in the Mexican Pacific resort of Acapulco, in one of the worst outbreaks of violence in the country's troubled penal system in recent years. Acapulco is the biggest city in Guerrero, one of Mexico's most lawless states and a centre of opium poppy production that has been a major concern to US officials.
The prison carnage was particularly embarrassing to Mexico as it came the same day US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary John Kelly was visiting Guerrero, which lies in the southwest of the country.
Guerrero state security official Roberto Alvarez told reporters that the fight broke out between rival gangs in the maximum security wing of the prison.
A law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that four of them had been decapitated.
Two Mexican officials said Kelly would be able to observe Mexico's efforts to eradicate poppies during his visit and two other officials said he had gone to Guerrero on Thursday.
The killings in Acapulco are the latest example of an upsurge in violent crime that has turned 2017 into one of the bloodiest years in the country's modern history.
Early last year, 49 people died in a battle between members of the feared Zetas drug cartel and rivals at a prison in the northern industrial city of Monterrey.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
The prison carnage was particularly embarrassing to Mexico as it came the same day US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary John Kelly was visiting Guerrero, which lies in the southwest of the country.
Guerrero state security official Roberto Alvarez told reporters that the fight broke out between rival gangs in the maximum security wing of the prison.
A law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that four of them had been decapitated.
Advertisement
Two Mexican officials said Kelly would be able to observe Mexico's efforts to eradicate poppies during his visit and two other officials said he had gone to Guerrero on Thursday.
Advertisement
The killings in Acapulco are the latest example of an upsurge in violent crime that has turned 2017 into one of the bloodiest years in the country's modern history.
Advertisement
Early last year, 49 people died in a battle between members of the feared Zetas drug cartel and rivals at a prison in the northern industrial city of Monterrey.
Advertisement
© Thomson Reuters 2017
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
COMMENTS
Advertisement
14 Killed In Armed Attack On Mexico Prison, Dozens Of Inmates Escape Mexico Witnesses Riot In Jail, 2 Inmates Killed At Least 30 Dead in Mexico Prison Riot: Reports What Trump Rally Shooter Did On Last Day Of His Life Meet Indian-Origin Usha Chilukuri Vance, Wife Of Trump's Vice President Pick Under-Fire Trainee IAS Officer Accuses Pune Collector Of Harassment Four In Five Americans Fear Country Is Sliding Into Chaos: Polls Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 Launched In India; Prices Start At Rs. 2.39 Lakh Admission Deadline Extended For EWS And Special Needs Children Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.