Prison break in Haiti leaves 12 dead, inmates starving

Twelve prisoners were killed in a prison break in the Haitian city of Saint-Marc.

Mayor Myriam Fievre said the incident, the third in Haiti in recent months, came amid an ongoing humanitarian crisis fueled by gang violence.

Prosecutor Venson Francois said the situation at the prison, which houses around 540 inmates, was under control on Friday afternoon, but the local population should remain vigilant and watch out for escapees.

“The situation is under control, but the consequences are catastrophic. All the policemen's dormitories have been burned down. The archives have been burned down. They have set fire to everything except their cells,” Francois said.

Earlier that day, unconfirmed videos shared on social media showed people climbing over walls, smoke pouring out of walls surrounded by barbed wire, a loud explosion and fire.

Walter Montas, a local government official, said the incident arose from a spontaneous protest because the prisoners had no food and were subjected to appalling health conditions.

The national police did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for further information on the incident.

According to the United Nations, more than 7,500 people were in Haitian prisons at the end of June. Before thousands of people escaped from the two largest prisons in early March, the number was around 12,000.

The prison break in March triggered a state of emergency, soon followed by the resignation of former Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Henry had travelled abroad to secure Kenya's support for a security mission to combat the armed gangs, but was unable to return because of the fighting.

Many prison cells in Haiti are almost four times full to capacity, and the United Nations said poor conditions and lack of basic necessities have led to the deaths of at least 109 prisoners this year.