DR Congo jailbreak turns deadly at Makala Prison in Kinshasa

Twenty-four people were shot dead and many others suffocated in a crush, the authorities say.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatchHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS ElectionUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessWomen at the HelmFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersMore than 100 killed in failed DR Congo jailbreakReutersSoldiers were seen guarding the site after the attempted breakoutAn attempt by inmates to break out of a high-security prison in the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kinshasa, has led to the deaths of 129 people, the authorities say.

Interior Minister Jacquemain Shabani said that 24 prisoners had died of bullet wounds after warning shots were fired in the early hours of Monday morning. Most of the others died from suffocation as a result of a crush during the breakout at Makala Prison.

Despite reports of mass casualties emerging on Monday, the government had initially said that only two people had died.

Seven years ago, at least 4,000 inmates escaped from the same prison - the country's largest.

On Monday, people living near the prison spoke about hearing gunshots but attempts by journalists to reach the site were thwarted by police officers who had blocked access to the area.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgkypl8kgveo

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