Venezuela jail dead being buried side-by-side in mass tomb скачать в хорошем качестве

Venezuela jail dead being buried side-by-side in mass tomb

(30 Mar 2018) Relatives were the central cemetery in the city of Valencia on Friday for the funerals of many of the 68 victims who were killed in the fire at an overcrowded police station jail in Venezuela Cemetery workers said they were prepared to bury at least 32 people two days after the blaze in three-deep graves separated by a layer of cinder block. The mass burial comes as relatives, human rights advocates and international leaders are pressing Venezuelan officials to provide a full account of what happened and hold those responsible accountable. Aside from confirming the death toll on Twitter, officials have been largely silent and have not yet explained how one of the worst jail fires in the nation's history took place. Varying versions of the moments leading up to the fire are circulating among relatives and advocates, with some accounts suggesting the inmates themselves started the blaze in an attempt to escape. At least one family member contended their relative called and claimed guards were pouring gasoline in the cellblock before the flames began to spread. As Venezuela struggles with an economic crisis worse than the Great Depression, advocates say prisoners face especially dire conditions, going hungry in increasingly crowded cells. Inmates also frequently obtain weapons and drugs with the help of corrupt guards. The United Nations' human rights office said on Thursday it was "appalled at the horrific deaths" and urged Venezuela to quickly address concerns. The incident is one of the worst mass casualty events at Venezuelan prisons and jails, but is not the first. A fire at a prison in the western state of Zulia killed more than 100 inmates in 1994. In 2013, 61 people died and over 100 were injured, mostly from bullet wounds, during a riot in Barquisimeto. An estimated 32,000 detainees are being kept in Venezuelan police stations that are filled far past capacity, according to A Window to Freedom, an advocacy group that monitors conditions at the nation's jails. The jail at the Valencia police station was built to hold 35 detainees, but at the time of the fire some 200 people were believed to be inside. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...