Five inmates died during a riot at Venezuela’s Yare III prison, officials confirmed on Tuesday.
The Ministry of Penitentiary Services said the violence began on Monday afternoon at the maximum-security facility in the Valles del Tuy region, just outside Caracas. The unrest followed a fight between inmates that escalated into a full-scale disturbance, according to authorities.
The deceased were identified as Keivin Matamoros, Eliécer Córdoba, Erkin Ramos, José Andrade and Jean Carlos Jiménez. The ministry did not specify how each individual died.
Family members and human rights groups had raised concerns over the weekend about irregular conditions at the prison, including the suspension of visits without explanation. The Venezuelan Prison Observatory reported rumors of inmate transfers and said it observed ambulances arriving at the site.
Protesters gathered outside the prison gates, demanding information about their loved ones. Some held signs accusing authorities of covering up deaths. By Tuesday afternoon, several relatives said they had received calls from detainees inside, who told them they were unharmed.
The ministry stated that the Public Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation into the incident. Yare III houses individuals labeled as “negative leaders” and members of criminal gangs, as well as some political prisoners awaiting potential release under amnesty measures.
