Relatives begin mourning 68 victims of police jail fire
Varying versions of tense moments that led to blaze at police station in Venezuela
Families of the 68 people killed in one of Venezuela’s worst jail fires are in mourning and have begun burying the dead as they demand officials explain what had happened and hold those responsible accountable.
Varying versions of the tense moments that led to the devastating blaze in the cellblock of a Valencia police station are circulating among relatives and human rights groups. It’s a sharp contrast to the silence of officials, who have provided almost no details on the disaster.
Relatives of one detainee who died called them shortly before the fire claiming guards were pouring gasoline in the cellblock. Other accounts from survivors and relatives indicate it was inmates themselves who set the facility on fire hoping to escape.
President Nicolas Maduro made no statement about the fire and loss of life in Valencia.
The most substantial comment from authorities came in a series of three tweets from chief prosecutor Tarek William Saab, who announced the death toll late Wednesday. He pledged a “thorough investigation to immediately shed light on the painful events that have put dozens of Venezuelan families in mourning.”
As Venezuela struggles in an economic crisis worse than the Great Depression, advocates say prisoners face especially dire conditions, going hungry in increasingly crowded cells. Inmates also frequently obtain weapons and drugs with the help of corrupt guards and heavily armed groups control cellblock fiefdoms.