Congo, 3 September 2024 (TDI): Over 129 people have been killed while attempting to flee from a jail in the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, said the security minister Jacquenmain Shabani Lukoo.
Jacquenmain Shabani Lukoo said in a post on X that 129 people had died and 59 others injured in an attempt to flee from Makala jail in Kinshasa. “During the incident, 24 killed as a result of the gunshots while others lost their lives in a crush during the chaos, he said.
Attempted jailbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo’s main prison in capital Kinshasa leaves at least 129 people dead, most of them in stampede – authorities pic.twitter.com/fzSSELfja3
— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) September 3, 2024
He said that due to fire the jail administrative building, registry, hospital and food depot damaged. Now the situation is under control and a probe is underway, he said, adding that an emergency meeting has convened with the chiefs of defence and security services.
Government spokesperson, Patrick Muyaya, said that Makala jail is one of the biggest prison in the country and it houses more than 12,000 inmates.
From the same jail over 4,000 prisoners escaped in 2017 when armed persons entered the building at night. Over 80 people were killed during the jailbreak.
