Prison fire in Honduras leaves 272 dead

(AP/Lisa Hyman)

Trapped inmates screamed from their cells s a fire swept through a Honduran prison, killing at least 272 inmates, authorities said Wednesday.

The fire broke out Tuesday night at a prison in Comayagua, a town 90 miles (140 kilometers) north of the Central American country's capital, Tegucigalpa. The prison holds about 800 inmates.

Lucy Marder, chif of forensic medicine for the prosecutors' office, gave the death count to reporters in a news conference.

Comayagua fire department spokesman 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 todeath 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," Garcia said.

Radio reports from Comayagua said dozens of prisoners were burned beyond recognition and the prison was destroyed by the flames.

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

It was feared that many inmates escaped during the fire, said Hector Ivan Mejia, spokesman for the security ministry.