The situation in the Mexican prison of Ciudad Juárez is under control again after the large-scale attack and mass escape. But dozens of prisoners are still on the run, including the drug lord "El Neto". More people are killed in the pursuit of the criminals.
After the major attack on a prison in Mexico with numerous fatalities, more people were killed while pursuing the attackers. According to authorities in the northern state of Chihuahua, two prosecutors and five suspected criminals were killed in addition to those killed in the outbreak.
An armed commando attacked the prison in Ciudad Juárez on New Year's Day, enabling 25 prisoners to escape. Among those who escaped is drug lord Ernesto Alfredo Piñon, known as "El Neto", who was sentenced to more than 200 years in prison in 2010 for murder and kidnapping.
According to Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval, ten guards, seven prisoners and two attackers were killed. In the detention center, members of various criminal gangs and drug cartels are held in separate cell blocks.
The chaotic situation in the prison after the attack sparked fighting among the inmates. According to media reports, inmates set fire to furniture and attacked guards. Security forces were only able to bring the situation under control again after five hours.
The city of Ciudad Juárez, with a population of 1.5 million, lies on the US border and has suffered for years from the violence of rival drug cartels fighting for control of smuggling routes into the US. Bloody fights keep breaking out in the city prison. In 2009, 20 people were killed in a prisoner mutiny. Last August, three inmates died in fights between members of rival gangs.
