Two prisoners die and three are injured in a prison break attempt in Honduras

MEXICO CITY — Two inmates were killed and three injured in a prison break attempt in Honduras early Thursday, authorities said. The Latin American country has long suffered from gang violence and overcrowded prisons.

According to the authorities, a total of 72 prisoners were involved in the escape attempt from the men’s prison in the city of Tamara, around 31 kilometers from the Honduran capital Tegucigalpa. It has not been clarified how the victims came about.

The military police were called in to deal with the situation. The force’s commander, Colonel Ramiro Muñoz, said one of the prisoners died in prison and the other died a short time later in a nearby hospital.

“Now everything is calm and in order,” Muñoz told local media. “This will not set us back, there is no other prison in the world where this kind of thing does not happen.”

Muñoz said the prisoners barricaded themselves in a part of the prison around 4 a.m. to distract guards. Military police responded, he said, without giving further details.

To dispel any speculation, a forensic investigation will be conducted, Muñoz also said.

A riot at Tamara women’s prison last year left 46 women dead. The carnage sparked calls for changes to the country’s prison system, and there was even discussion about whether Honduras should emulate the drastic zero-tolerance and privileged prisons in neighboring El Salvador, established by President Nayib Bukele.

In June, Honduras’ President Xiomara Castro announced the construction of a new “mega-prison” with a capacity of 20,000 inmates. The prison is part of the government’s comprehensive measures to combat gang violence and efforts to overhaul the long-troubled prison system.