Seven dead in Mexican prison break

A massive prison break in the Mexican town of Nuevo Laredo on the border with the United States on Friday has left at least seven prisoners dead. 59 other inmates escaped after guards lost control of the prison. 

Reuters/Reuters TV

A statement from Tamaulipas state government said soldiers surrounded the Sanctions Enforcement Center prison following a breakout that came after an early morning riot. "The situation is currently under control," said the statement.

Of the 59 who fled, 35 were being held on federal charges, which include drug trafficking and belonging to armed gangs.

Authorities say there are some 7,800 inmates in Tamaulipas prisons, including 1,238 at Nuevo Laredo's Sanctions Enforcement Center. Last year nearly 350 inmates escaped from nine prisons in the north-eastern state of Tamaulipas, which borders the US state of Texas.

The breakout is still dwarfed by a jail break in December when 151 inmates escaped from the same site - Mexico's largest ever break-out. Those who fled included the prison warden.

There were also five prison guards who fled in Friday’s prison break.

In March, an inmate had murdered the prison warden.

Tamaulipas is the epicenter of a battle between two violent drug cartels, the Gulf cartel and the Zetas, made up of ex-commandos fighting for control of lucrative smuggling routes into the United States.