Families of fire victims in police jail seek justice

Tormented relatives of 68 people killed in a fire at a Venezuelan police station jail waited yesterday for officials to turn over the remains of their loved ones and demanded accountability from officials.

‘‘I want justice for my son,’’ said Rocky Varlea, 53, whose 27-yearold son was killed in the blaze, his voice shaking. ‘‘Those who did this should pay.’’

The fast-moving fire on Thursday swept through a station where prisoners were being kept in crowded cells, becoming one of the worst jail catastrophes in Venezuela’s history.

Human rights advocates quickly blamed authorities for failing to address deteriorating conditions in jails and prisons as the country slides further into economic ruin.

‘‘The negligence of authorities continues causing deaths,’’ the non-governmental Venezuelan Prisons Observatory said.

Venezuela chief prosecutor Tarek William Saab announced on Twitter that 66 men and two women had been killed. He said four prosecutors were being assigned to determine what happened and who was responsible for the tragedy in Valencia, a town in Carabobo state 160km west of the capital, Caracas.

Saab promised a ‘‘thorough investigation to immediately shed light on the painful events that have put dozens of Venezuelan families in mourning’’.

As Venezuela plummets into an economic crisis worse than the Great Depression, prisoners in often crowded jails are going hungry and have staged protests in recent months. Inmates also frequently obtain weapons and drugs with the help of corrupt guards and heavily armed groups that control cellblock fiefdoms.

The United Nations’ human rights office said it was ‘‘appalled at the horrific deaths’’. –AP

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