At Least 90 Inmates Flee Chiapas Prison

At least 90 prisoners broke out of a jail in Mexico’s troubled Chiapas state after clashing with guards Tuesday, prosecutors said.

Armando Cruz, deputy director of investigations at the state prosecutor’s office, said one prisoner died and four were injured during the escape from the prison near San Cristobal de las Casas, 470 miles southeast of Mexico City.

“This afternoon a group of 24 prisoners began to riot and took the armory, stealing 23 M1 rifles. The prisoners took two secretaries hostage and, after a gunfight with guards, escaped in a public transport vehicle they captured,” Cruz said.

Cruz said dozens more prisoners escaped during the confusion and that none had so far been recaptured.

Chiapas state officials were not available to comment.

The penitentiary from which the prisoners escaped was taken by Zapatista rebels during their Jan. 1, 1994, uprising against the Mexican government to demand improved rights for Mexico’s indigenous population.