Violence at a jail in the Philippines has left 10 inmates dead and the warden severely injured. Police are investigating the incident as a possible jailbreak and attempted hostage-taking.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. R. Malasig
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A gunfight at a jail warden's office and a suspected grenade explosion killed at least 10 inmates at city jail in the Philippines, police said on Friday. The warden also sustained serious injuries.
The violence broke out at the Paranaque City jail in a suburb of Manila after inmates requested a meeting with the warden to allegedly discuss a planned cell transfer.
"One possible angle is that these inmates were planning an attempt to escape," Senior Inspector Xavier Solda, a spokesman for the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, told reporters. He added that the inmates might also have attempted to take the warden hostage.
"But this is just one of the angles being looked into, and the investigation is ongoing," Solda said.
Investigators said the many of the inmates killed faced drug chargesImage: picture-alliance/dpa/F. R. Malasig
Solda described those killed as high-profile inmates. Eight of the deceased inmates were being detained on drug-related charges, including two Chinese nationals. Two others were facing robbery and homicide charges, the senior inspector said.
The incident reportedly began in a waiting area outside the warden's office.
"The warden said he heard a gunshot, which prompted him to grab his pistol," said Jose Carumba, the city's senior police superintendent said.
"The inmates kept firing at him, so he kept firing back as he tried to make his way out of his office. It was then that the grenade exploded," he said.
It was not immediately clear whether the inmates died because of the gunfire or the suspected grenade blast.
Following the violence, all visits to the jail were suspended, but investigators assured relatives of other inmates that the blast took place away from the detention cells.
The crackdown on drugs unleashed by President Rodrigo Duterte has brought the country's prisons to the brink of collapse. In the Quezon City Jail near the capital Manila, inmates are living under miserable conditions.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/N. Celis
Imprisoned in the open air
Inmates who cannot be accommodated in the prison cells sleep on the ground in the open air. At present, it's rainy season in the Philippines. And in the current tropical temperatures, it's raining almost every day.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/N. Celis
Sleeping on several floors
Whoever possesses a hammock should consider themselves lucky. The prison, which was built 60 years ago, has a capacity to house 800 inmates. But today there are as many as 3,800.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/N. Celis
Hardly any room to breathe
Every nook and corner in the prison is occupied. Most of the prisoners sleep on either thin sheets or bare concrete floor.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/N. Celis
Staying strong
A prisoner toughens up his muscles in an exercise room.
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Strict rules
Signboards remind inmates of prison rules. The handcuffed prisoners shown here are awaiting their trial.
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Cleaning service
One prisoner cleans the toilet while the others try to kill time.
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Washing and bathing room
Only occasionally can the prisoners free themselves of sweat, filth and stench.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/N. Celis
Night confinement
A guard locks the gate in the evening, while the inmates get ready for another night in the overcrowded prison.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/N. Celis
Uncompromising
Many hold newly elected President Duterte responsible for the inhumane situation. His campaign against drugs has shown no mercy. He has called on the people to kill drug addicts, which has led to an unprecedented wave of vigilantism in the Southeast Asian nation. Cases have been filed against 600,000 drug dealers and addicts so far, completely overwhelming the justice system.
