Riot in Mexican Prison Leaves 52 Dead

An overnight violent riot that started between the leaders of two rival gangs inside of a Mexican prison has left dozens of people dead, authorities reported Thursday.

According to Nuevo Leon state Gov. Jaime Rodriguez, a total of 52 inmats were killed at Topo Chico prison located in Monterrey. 12 people were injured with five of them being in critical condition. No one escaped from the facility.

Rodriguez added that officials believe that the inmates fought in support of either Juan Pedro Zaldivar Farias of the Zetas drug cartel and Jorge Ivan Hernandez Cantu, who is believed to be a member of rival group, the Gulf cartel.

The fight broke out at around 11:30 p.m. local time and lasted for about two hours before officials were able to get the situation under control. During the riot, inmates had started a fire that affected two units inside of the prison, the governor detailed.
Family members of the inmates and other civilians could be seen gathered at the gates.

"They haven't told us anything," a mother of an inmate who went by Ernestina said reported by the Washington Post. "They said that until there is order they won't let us in. Everything is in disorder, and nobody is telling us anything."

Rescue workers were also present at the scene.

This is not the first incident to occur at the prison. In 2012, three inmates died after being stabbed. In 2011, the head of security was murdered.