At least 129 people have been killed in a mass prison break in the Democratic Republic of Congo, local authorities said. Officials said all those who tried to escape were dead. A resident of Kinshasa said the shooting lasted for hours and that he later saw cars removing bodies from the scene.
The tragedy occurred at around 2:00 a.m. on Monday in the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kinshasa. A large group of inmates tried to escape from Makala prison, the largest prison in the country.
The country's authorities reported that at least 129 people died while trying to escape. Interior Minister Shabani Lukoo reported on X that 24 of them died as a result of shots fired after the warning was issued, while the rest were trampled or suffocated in the crowd. He said at least 59 people were injured, and there were also several cases of rape of women.
The minister also reported that in addition to the deaths, significant material damage was caused. A fire broke out, engulfing the prison's administrative building, food warehouses and the hospital.
Earlier, a prison employee reported that none of the inmates managed to escape and all who attempted to do so died.
The shooting lasted for several hours.
Footage and photos from the scene show the effects of the chaos that erupted in the prison, including a huge hole in the brick wall and scattered documents.
One prisoner at the facility told Reuters he was woken by noises coming from outside, followed by gunfire. Another prisoner said “the soldiers were shooting at everything that moved.” CNN quoted Daddi Soso, a resident of Kinshasa, as saying the shooting continued for several hours, and that he later saw cars removing bodies from the scene.
Overcrowded prison
CNN reports, citing data Amnesty Internationalthat as of Monday, Makala prison housed over 12,000 inmates, although in reality it only has space for 1,500 people.
Prison escapes are nothing new in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The BBC recalls that seven years ago, at least 4,000 people escaped from the same prison. In 2020, the station spoke to one of the employees of this prison, who described how prisoners were dying due to poor sanitary conditions, including food shortages and catastrophic hygiene. At that time, only 6% of prisoners were actually serving their sentences, and the cases of the rest were stuck in the national justice system for years – indicates the BBC.
Main image source: Reuters