An attempted jail breakout was reported at a high-security prison in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, leading to the deaths of 129 people, the authorities said.
Makala Prison, dating from the 1950s, has a capacity of 1,500 prisoners, but more than 14,000 inmates were being held there.
Interior Minister Jacquemain Shabani Lukoo posted a video on X, around 24 hours after the attempted breakout, acknowledging the extent of the incident and the death toll.
He added that almost 60 others were severely injured and had been taken to hospital.
“This is also an opportunity to commend all the security services, the national police, and the army, who responded quickly and were able to contain the situation, preventing the escape,” he said.
“It should be noted that there were indeed damages, including loss of life, injuries, and especially material damage at the central prison.
“Unfortunately, the administration and registry offices caught fire. These are urgent situations that we are currently addressing,” he said.
Rights groups have called for an international investigation into what happened.
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