At least 10 inmates of a jail in Philippines died following a blast and gunfire on Thursday evening. The warden of the jail was also severely injured in the blast.
The 10 inmates, which included two Chinese nationals, had reportedly gone to meet the warden regarding them being shifted to a different facility. People living near the Parañaque City Jail in Metropolitan Manila said they heard two to three blasts, CNN reported.
Among the dead, eight faced drug cases, including the two Chinese nationals, and two others faced robbery and homicide charges, said Senior Inspector Xavier Solda, spokesman of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.
"During the initial investigation, we can confirm that there was an explosion inside (but) as to what caused the explosion, the investigation is still ongoing," Solda told reporters.
Investigators are trying to ascertain if the blast was part of an escape attempt.
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte had read out the names of the blast victims on Thursday.
Ever since Duterte became the president, the war on drugs has been amped up in the country, but the jails are overflowing. A Daily Mail report on Wednesday showed the inhuman conditions in which inmates live in cramped quarters. A jail made for 800 people was housing 4,000 in the city. The crisis has increased so much that new jails have to be built to accommodate people.
