Three killed, four injured in Congo jail mutiny

Three people died and four suffered bullet injuries during a short-lived mutiny at a jail in Congo's capital Brazzaville, the prosecutor has said.

The unrest broke out yesterday at a prison near the city's court when a few prisoners got hold of guns belonging to the wardens, Andre Ngakala Oko said.

"They started shooting in all directions creating panic," he said, adding that the three dead included a "gendarme, a mutineer and a civilian killed by a fleeing mutineer.

"Four people were wounded: three mutineers and a civilian," he said.

Witnesses said the short-lived riot lasted around 30 minutes. The prosecutor said all the prisoners who had tried to flee had been apprehended and locked up in their cells.