MAZATLAN, Mexico: Ten people, including a minor visiting an inmate, were killed and 16 prisoners injured after a brawl broke out inside a prison in Mexico’s northwestern Sinaloa state on Thursday, local authorities said.
The Sinaloa Public Security Secretariat confirmed the incident in a post on X, saying a fight had erupted inside the prison facilities. However, officials did not disclose what triggered the violence.
Sinaloa’s Secretary of Public Security, Sinuhe Tellez, said in a video posted on social media that nine inmates and a minor who was visiting the prison had died in the incident. He added that 16 inmates had sustained injuries.
Security forces were deployed to the facility and managed to restore order. An armoured vehicle and ambulances arrived at the prison following the violence.
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Sinaloa, in north-western Mexico, has become a battleground for rival factions of the Sinaloa drug-trafficking cartel, contributing to persistent security concerns in the state.
The US State Department advises American citizens against travelling to Sinaloa because of security risks. The state is among six Mexican states covered by the warning.
