Fire breaks out in Colombian prison in Tolua, killing 51 people. It is reported by CNN, referring to Colombian Justice Minister Wilson Ruiz..

According to the source, the cause of the tragedy was a conflict between two prisoners.. During the scuffle, one of the men set fire to the mattress, resulting in a fire that spread to the entire prison wing.. Since the prison was overcrowded, it was not possible to evacuate people in time.

Ruiz said the staff tried to put out the flames themselves, but it was too strong and firefighters had to wait.. During this time, 24 people received burns and various degrees of damage, including both guards and prisoners.. 51 people unfortunately died. This is one of the most tragic accidents in Colombia's recent history..

The Minister of Justice said that the prison in Tolua is a medium-security penitentiary, where prisoners serve either minor sentences or the last few months of their sentence.. On average, most Colombian prisons are 20% overcrowded, he said, while Tolua was only 17% overcrowded.. Unfortunately, this did not help to avoid tragic consequences..

[see_also ids\u003d"

Earlier it was reported that in Oslo a man opened fire in a nightclub, resulting in the death of two people..