At least 129 people lost their lives in a violent prison break attempt over the weekend at Makala prison, the largest jail in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), according to a statement from the Interior Minister on Tuesday.
“The provisional human toll is 129 dead, including 24 who were shot after warnings,” Interior Minister Jacquemain Shabani announced in a video message.
He also reported that 59 others were wounded in the incident, which took place in the capital city of Kinshasa.
The ministry further revealed that several individuals had been crushed or suffocated during the chaos, and a number of women were raped.
Witnesses recounted hearing gunfire erupting at the prison around 2:00 am on Monday, with the exchange lasting several hours.
Daddi Soso, a local electrician in his 40s, described seeing security forces removing bodies in the early morning hours.
Government spokesman Patrick Muyaya later assured the public that by mid-morning on Monday, the situation was “under control,” though authorities did not provide details on how many inmates had escaped or attempted to flee.
AFP
