Five Killed in Colombia Prison Fight
Inmates at a Bogota prison clashed Thursday in a shootout that left at least five people dead and seven wounded, officials said.
The violence at La Picota federal penitentiary appeared to stem from a turf war between prisoners in two wards housing a mix of leftist guerrillas, common criminals and drug traffickers, prisons spokeswoman Rocio Devia said.
Officials initially reported that 10 prisoners were killed. But after authorities restored order, they discovered that half of the men believed to be killed were unconscious or playing dead, Devia added.
Gang fights are common in the country’s filthy and overcrowded prisons. Guns and knives are easily smuggled past corrupt guards.
More than 300 prisoners have been killed in Colombian prisons since 1997.
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