Fire kills 16 in El Salvador prison

San Salvador, Nov 11 (IANS/EFE) At least 16 people were killed and more than 20 injured in a fire at a prison in El Salvador’s Ilobasco city, authorities said.

“There are 16 dead,” Salvadoran Red Cross spokesman Carlos Lopez said, adding that 26 people were injured.

Justice and Security Ministry spokesmen, however, put the number of injured at 22.

Initial indications are that the fire was not caused by a riot, the ministry spokesmen said.

The fire occurred at the youth prison in Ilobasco, located 55 km northeast of San Salvador, where inmates, most of whom are older than 18, serve time for crimes committed when they were minors.

The fire started in the early morning hours, Lopez said, citing reports from eyewitnesses.

The injured, the majority suffering from burns, were taken to the hospital in Ilobasco, the Red Cross said.

–IANS/EFE