At least ten guards and four inmates are dead after a riot at one of the most notorious facilities in Mexico on Sunday.
At least 24 inmates have also escaped and are on the loose.
The incident began when gunmen arrived in armored vehicles and attacked the Cereso state prison in Ciudad Juarez — which is an infamously dangerous city right across the border from El Paso, Texas.
The assault on the facility began around 7 a.m. when the gunmen arrived and began firing on the guards, according to the Chihuahua state prosecutor’s office.
It took the Mexican military, the national guard and local police all working to get the situation under control by Sunday afternoon.
NPR reports that “government officials have said that the prison is known to be run by members of an organized crime group known as the Mexicles. Over the years, this group has planned and ordered attacks on the city of Juárez from inside the prison, according to officials.”
In addition to those who were killed or escaped, at least 13 people were injured in the chaos.
Violence is very commonplace at the prison and sometimes even spreads to the city streets.
“In August, a riot inside the same state prison spread to the streets of Juarez in violence that left 11 people dead,” PBS reports. “In that case, two inmates were killed inside the prison and then alleged gang members started shooting up the town, including killing four employees of a radio station who were doing a promotion at a restaurant.”
The prosecutor’s office is still investigating who was behind the attack and why.