Three killed in Zimbabwe prison riot

Nearly 900 inmates ran riot at a maximum security prison in Zimbabwe's capital Harare protesting against poor food, resulting in at least three deaths while many others were injured, Zimbabwe Prison and Correctional Services spokesperson Elizabeth Banda-Karinda said on Saturday.

She told Xinhua news agency that two more inmates died on Saturday from injuries sustained during Friday's riot, bringing the death toll to three. Two of the injured three prison guards are still admitted in hospital while one had been discharged.

She said an estimated 23 people were injured in the melee, adding they were still in the process of screening to ascertain the exact number of the injured.

During the riot at the country's maximum security prison, inmates torched blankets and damaged property and police and state security agents had to be called in to control the situation.

The chaos lasted for three hours, but no inmate managed to escape.

Banda said investigations were in progress to ascertain whether the stampede was targeted towards escaping or something else.

"The inmates had been released to have their lunch. We do not know what they really wanted. When we were trying to find out exactly who wanted to eat and who did not, there was a stampede all over the place," Banda said.

The prison, with 4,663 inmates, keeps some of the most dangerous prisoners, among them those who have been convicted of murder and rape and those serving long sentences.

There have been reports in recent years of the prison authorities failing to properly feed an estimated 17,000 inmates in the country's 42 correctional facilities.