Fire in Dominican Prison Kills at Least 58

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic – Gang members fighting in a provincial Dominican Republic prison set pillows and sheets ablaze, setting a fire that killed at least 58 people, officials said Monday.

Only 26 of 148 inmates were rescued from the public jail in Higuey, in the eastern part of the Dominican Republic, said National Police spokesman Gen. Simon Diaz.

Nestor Vera, chief of the firefighters of Higuey, said, “Most of the prisoners we’re seeing are dead or badly wounded. Up to now we’ve pulled out 58 bodies but we know that there are many more because they’re piled up on top of each other.”

Army helicopters were ferrying the wounded to hospitals in the capital, Santo Domingo, said Gen. Ramon de la Cruz Martinez, the national director of prisons.

Dozens of inmates began fighting in the jail Sunday night, Diaz said.

The fight was broken up by guards, but at about 12:30 a.m. many prisoners began rioting, setting fire to pillows and sheets in their cells, Diaz said.

“We are still pulling out the bodies,” he said.