22 die in Mexican prison shoot-out

Published on 20/12/2012 00:00

Twenty-two people have died in an attempted jail break in the Mexican state of Durango that sparked a bloody shoot-out between guards and inmates.

Nine guards and 13 prisoners were killed in the city of Gomez Palacio on Tuesday, said Fernando Rivas, a spokesman for Durango state police.

“The number of dead could increase, although we hope not. A number of guards and prisoners are currently in a critical state,” he said, noting that guards may have been complicit in allowing weapons into the prison.

Gomez Palacio forms part of a metropolitan area with the city of Torreon in neighbouring Coahuila, one of the states worst hit by violent drug gangs this year.