An attempt by inmates to break out of a high-security prison in the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kinshasa, has led to the deaths of 129 people, the authorities say.
Interior Minister Jacquemain Shabani said that 24 prisoners had died of bullet wounds after warning shots were fired in the early hours of Monday morning. Most of the others died from suffocation as a result of a crush during the breakout at Makala Prison.
Despite reports of mass casualties emerging on Monday, the government had initially said that only two people had died.
Seven years ago, at least 4,000 inmates escaped from the same prison – the country’s largest.
On Monday, people living near the prison spoke about hearing gunshots but attempts by journalists to reach the site were thwarted by police officers who had blocked access to the area.
“There were gunshots from 01:00 or 02:00 in the morning, and until around 05:00,” Daddi Soso, who lives close to the prison, told the AFP news agency.
“There were deaths and there are people who fled,” he said, adding that the security forces were taking bodies away.
Graphic videos being shared from inside the prison on Monday, but not verified by the BBC, showed lifeless bodies on the floor as well as people shouting for help amid a crush.
Mr Shabani posted a video on X, formerly Twitter, around 24 hours after the attempted breakout, acknowledging the extent of the incident and the death toll.
He added that almost 60 others were severely injured and had been taken to hospital.
“This is also an opportunity to commend all the security services, the national police, and the army, who responded quickly and were able to contain the situation, preventing the escape,” he said.
“It should be noted that there were indeed damages, including loss of life, injuries and especially material damage at the central prison.
“Unfortunately, the administration and registry offices caught fire. These are urgent situations that we are currently addressing.”
Rights groups have called for an international investigation into what happened.
Footage from the aftermath of the attempted breakout appears to show a huge hole in a brick wall, charred buildings, firemen working at the site and an office with papers strewn across the floor.
Makala Prison, dating from the 1950s, has a capacity of 1,500 prisoners, but more than 14,000 inmates were being held there, AFP reports.
In 2020, the BBC spoke to a prison official who described how people were dying there because of the poor conditions – including food shortages and a lack of hygiene.
At the time it was estimated that only 6% of the prisoners were actually serving sentences – the rest were stuck in DR Congo’s legal system where cases can drag on for years.
The justice minister has promised to intensify efforts to decongest prisons across the country.
