10 inmates die in fire at Philippines maximum-security prison

At least 10 inmates perished when an eight-hour fire of still unknown origin broke out at the psychiatric ward inside the maximum security compound of the Abuyog Penal colony in Leyte mid-afternoon Thursday.

“Among my instructions is fully secure the area, attend to the needs of the affected inmates, i.e., food, clothing, temporary shelter, other emergency needs, like flashlights, medicines, etc., and search for missing inmates, if any”, she said. “So maybe when the fire happened suddenly, it may not have been unlocked immediately”, Olaguer said, adding he had no other details and that a senior prison official from Manila was on the way to Leyte to investigate.

The dead were among the 1,256 classified as maximum-security inmates.

Pedrosa said the jail was operating at more than double its capacity at the time of the blaze.

However, after the fire, Nalda said prison authorities found that there were 11 inmates missing.

Philippine prisons are notoriously overcrowded and have poor facilities.

Ong said that the survivors were brought to the nearby medium security building.

The prison housed more than 1,000 inmates and a number of prisoners got caught up in the blaze whilst still in their cells.

Investigation would be conducted to determine the cause the fire in the maximum security building inside the prison colony located in Barangay Mahagna, about 20 km away from the town proper of Abuyog.

The compound is one of seven penal colonies belonging to the Bureau of Corrections.