Deadly riot and fire

Fatalities confirmed after chaos at Venezuelan police station

AUTHORITIES released little information on a deadly riot and fire at a Venezuelan police station on Wednesday, as relatives said dozens of detainees were kept in squalid conditions and expressed fear that their loved ones were dead.

Officials yesterday confirmed that there were fatalities but said they were still determining the exact number.

They said they would not provide any estimates “out of respect for the families”.

“In the right moment we will provide information on the total number of victims that today puts the state of Carabobo in mourning,” said Jesus Santander, secretarygeneral of the local government.

The scant information came hours after a large crowd of angry relatives demanding to know if their loved ones had survived clashed with officers in riot gear.

Police launched tear gas to disperse the crowd of screaming men and women in Valencia, about 160km west of Caracas.

“I don’t know if my son is dead or alive!” cried Aida Parra, who said she last saw her son a day before, when she went to deliver him food.

“They haven’t told me anything.”

A Window to Freedom, a non-profit group that monitors conditions at Venezuela’s jails, said preliminary but unconfirmed information indicated the riot began when a detainee shot an officer in the leg.

Shortly after that a fire broke out, with flames growing quickly as the blaze spread to mattresses in the cells, it said.

Rescuers apparently had to break a hole through a wall to free some of the prisoners trapped inside.

Photos shared by the group showed prisoners being taken out on stretchers.

Outside the police station, relatives buried their faces in their hands as tears streamed down their cheeks. Others had to be held up with the support of friends and family.