Congo authorities said that at least 129 people died Tuesday in an attempted escape from the main prison in the capital Kinshasa, reports CBS News. It is noted that most died as a result of a crush.
A preliminary assessment found that 24 inmates were shot dead in “warning” shots as they tried to escape from the overcrowded Makala Central Prison in Kinshasa, Congo’s Interior Minister Jacqumin Shabani said. He said the government had taken care of 59 wounded people, including women who were raped during the escape.
Makala, Congo’s largest prison with a capacity of 1,500 inmates, holds more than 12,000 people, according to human rights organization Amnesty International.
