Authorities say the roof of a privately run East Texas prison has collapsed, temporarily trapping dozens of inmates and sending 19 injured inmates to hospitals.
One of those inmates was later airlifted to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston after the yesterday's collapse at Diboll Correctional Center, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northeast of Houston. Neither his identity nor his condition has been released.
In a statement, a prison spokesman said the other inmates suffered cuts and bruises when wallboard fell from the ceiling of a housing area at the prison about 11:30 a.M.
Spokesman Issa Arnita said 86 inmates were in the area when the ceiling material fell. He said officials are trying to determine the cause.
The 518-bed minimum-security facility is operated by Centerville, Utah-based Management & Training Corp.
