Fighting between rival gnags at Venezuelan prison kills 7 inmates, wounds 10 guards

Prison fighting kills 7 inmates in Venezuela

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan authorities say knife-wielding prison inmates have killed seven other prisoners and wounded 10 guards during an outbreak of violence at a jail in the country’s west.

National Guard Maj. Jose Figueroa says fighting erupted at the Santa Ana Prison after several prisoners took a teacher and two guards hostage to demand a transfer to another penitentiary.

Figueroa told the Globovision television channel Monday that the inmates later released the hostages and were returning to their cell block when they were attacked by rival prisoners.

Violence is common in Venezuela’s overcrowded prisons, where rival gangs often fight for control of cellblocks or the sale of illegal drugs.