A friendly match between inmates at a prison in Mexico descended into chaos on New Year’s Day as 16 people ended up being killed as a result of violent clashes during the game.
Varonil prison, which is located in the town of Cieneguillas, hosted what was supposed to be a light-hearted game for inmates, and family members were also invited to watch the event to kick-start the new year.
A ‘friendly’ match between two cartels, in a prison in North-Central Mexico, saw 16 people die & 5 injured.
Despite family members being present, both sides somehow had access to weapons, including guns.
It took two hours for the police to take back control of the prison. 😳
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Unfortunately, as noted by La Jornada, things did not go to plan as members of the ‘Gulf’ and ‘Sinaloa’ cartels ended up fighting one another with handmade weapons and firearms which were allegedly smuggled into the prison by visiting family members on the day of the attack.
The incident is understood to have lasted for around three hours, in which players and family members alike came under attack.
In total, 16 people were killed as a result of the violence and many more were left with injuries. Five people are said to be in critical condition as a result of their wounds. Some children are thought to be among those injured.
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🏴 Andy RobertsonIt’s hard to imagine a game where Liverpool won’t score! 😍 pic.twitter.com/0gwyt2aFAM
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The government have launched an investigation to try and determine who instigated the violence, as well as how the weapons found their way into the prison.
120 inmates were relocated to other facilities to try and prevent any future outbreaks of violence, but there are fears that things could soon escalate again as Mexican prisons have often been plagued by gang wars in recent years.
You get the feeling that prison officials probably won’t organise this match again next year.