PORT-AU-PRINCE: A jail break in the Haitian city of Saint-Marc left 12 prisoners dead on Friday, Mayor Myriam Fievre said in a statement. It was the third such incident in Haiti in recent days amid a prolonged humanitarian crisis fueled by gang violence.
In a State Prosecutor Venson Francois stated that the situation on Friday afternoon was under control at the jail, which housed about 540 prisoners, but the local people should remain vigilant and watch for escapees.
Earlier in the day, various unverified footage shared on different platforms of social media showed people climbing over walls and smoke streaming out of walls ringed with barbed wire, a loud blast and fire.
Local authorities said that the incident had developed out of a spontaneous protest as inmates were going without food as well as facing appalling health conditions. The country’s police did not issue any statement over the matter. Over 7,500 people were being held in Haitian jails at the end of June, the UN data said.
The March jail break triggered a state of emergency that was soon followed by the resignation of ex-PM Ariel Henry, who had traveled abroad to gain Kenya’s support in a security mission to battle the armed gangs in the country, and was unable to return due to the violence.
