Caracas, March 23 (IANS) Nine inmates were killed and 20 injured in an armed clash between rival gangs at a prison in southern Venezuela, EFE news agency reported Sunday.
The gunfight erupted early Friday between the so-called groups “apurenos” and “valencianos” in San Fernando de Apure, a city 400 km south of here.
The clash lasted for an hour and a half before some 70 National Guard troops took over the prison and restored order, El Nacional daily reported.
Clashes of this type are common at Venezuelan prisons as rival gangs battle for supremacy. According to a NGO, at least 498 inmates were killed and 1,023 wounded in 2007 across the country.