Fire leaves 68 dead in Venezuela police station cells

PanARMENIAN.Net - Rioting and a fire at a police station in the Venezuelan city of Valencia, in Carabobo State, have left 68 people dead, government officials say, according to the BBC.

Chief State Prosecutor Tarek Saab said an investigation into what had happened would begin immediately.

The blaze reportedly started after prisoners set fire to mattresses in an attempt to break out on Wednesday, March 28.

Police used tear gas to disperse relatives who surrounded the station after news of the fire broke.

State official Jesus Santander confirmed a police officer had been shot in the aftermath of the blaze, which has been brought under control.

He said the state of Carabobo was in mourning after the incident.

Families, desperate for news, gathered outside the facility in Valencia, only to be repelled by police who fired tear gas on the crowd.

Inside, scores of inmates had been killed, many from smoke inhalation.

At this stage, the official version suggests the fire was started deliberately, as a riot took hold.