13 dead in prison riot in northern Mexico

elatives of inmates check for weapons on policemen arriving on scene at Cadereyta state prison, after a riot broke out at the prison, in Cadereyta Jimenez, on the outskirts of Monterrey, Mexico.

A security official in the state of Nuevo Leon in northern Mexicohas said that 13inmates have died in a prison riot which authorities ended with lethal force.

Spokesman Aldo Fasci has said that the riot occurred at the state prison in Cadereyta, adding that the death toll could climb because eight people are in critical condition.

All afternoon on Tueday , desperate families battled with authorities outside the prison gates, demanding information about their relatives inside.

Several hours of attempted negotiations failed and police using non—lethal force were unable to quell the riot.

So authorities decided at around 5 pm local time to use lethal force to protect the lives of the guards and the prisoners, Fasci told a news conference.