Violence erupts inside Venezuela prison, leaving 16 dead, about 3 dozen injured

16 inmates killed in prison riot in Venezuela

CARACAS, Venezuela — A Venezuelan official says a riot involving rival gangs inside a prison has killed 16 inmates and injured 35.

Chief prisons official Consuelo Cerrada says authorities peacefully retook control of the prison after the violence.

Cerrada told the TV channel Globovision on Thursday that fighting erupted the previous day between inmates feuding over control. She says six of the injured remain hospitalized and the rest are back in Tocoron prison in north-central Aragua state.

Officials have said three other inmates were killed and four guards injured in violence at the same prison Monday.

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