A riot at a women's prison near the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa on Tuesday left at least 41 people dead, officials reported.

Although there were reports of violent clashes, the majority of the deaths appeared to be from a major fire that broke out during the riot.

Deputy Security Minister Julissa Villanueva declared a state of emergency at the National Women's Penitentiary for Social Adaptation (PNFAS) and authorized the immediate intervention of emergency services, her ministry wrote on Twitter.

Honduran President Xiomara Castro expressed her shock at the riot which was "planned by maras with the knowledge and acquiescence of security authorities."

"I am going to take drastic measures!" Castro wrote on Twitter. She has summoned the Minister of Security and the president of the Intervention Commission to render accounts. 

What do we know about the riot?

Local media reported that a fire broke out following fights between rival gangs Pandilla 18 and Mara Salvatrucha.

At least seven women were taken to hospital for treatment of gun and knife wounds, hospital workers said.

Delma Ordonez, a representative for the families of inmates, said the members of one gang had set fire to the cell of a rival gang. She added that the facility holds around 900 inmates.

Deputy Security Minister Villanueva said that the riot had been a response to recent attempts to bring prisons in the country — where inmates often run the shop, including selling illegal drugs — under control.

The violence was an attempt to push back against "the actions we are taking against organized crime," Villanueva said in a televised address.

"We will not back down," she added.

Honduras' organized crime problem

Organized crime gangs hold huge sway over Honduras, which along with El Salvador and Guatemala, makes up the so-called "triangle of death," in large part due to the transit of illegal drugs from South America to the US.

Former President Juan Orlando Hernandez was extradited to the US last year to face drug charges. Prosecutors say he turned Honduras into a "narco-state," giving state support to drug trafficking.

New leftist President Xiomara Castro has pledged to take on the gangs and rein in their power and corruption.

ab/rt (AFP, dpa, AP)