6,000 inmates escape from a high-security prison as post-election violence roils Mozambique

Associated Press

MAPUTO, Mozambique. (AP) — Mozambique’s police chief says at least 6,000 inmates escaped from a high-security prison in the capital of Maputo on Christmas Day after a rebellion, as widespread post-election riots and violence are roiling the country. The police chief Bernardino Rafael said that 33 prisoners died and 15 others were injured during a confrontation with the security forces. The escape from the Maputo Central Prison, located southwest of the capital, started around midday on Wednesday. Rafael says a “group of subversive protesters” started agitating nearby. He also says that some prisoners at the facility snatched weapons from the guards and started freeing other prisoners.