4 ay önce

Over 100 killed in attempted DRC prison break

No prisoners succeeded in escaping from the Makala jail, where a fire had also broken out in the administrative building, its food depots and a hospital.

AP

Prisoners told Reuters they had heard heavy gunfire, as well as sounds of prisoners outside. / Photo: AP

At least 129 people have been killed while trying to escape from the central Makala prison in the Democratic Republic of Congo's capital Kinshasa.

In a statement posted on X early on Tuesday, DRC Interior Minister Shabani Lukoo said a fire had also broken out in the jail's administrative building, its food depots and a hospital on Sunday.

Some 59 people were wounded, he added.

"The mass escape attempt at Makala Central Prison resulted in the loss of life and significant material damage," he said in the video statement.

Earlier, a prison official had said no prisoners had succeeded in escaping, adding that those who tried to escape had been killed. The government was investigating the incident.

The break-out attempt occurred around 0100 GMT on Sunday. Prisoners told Reuters they had heard heavy gunfire, as well as sounds of prisoners outside.