Mexican prison riot between rival gangs kills 28 in resort city of Acapulco

A brutal fight broke out in a prison in the Mexican Pacific resort of Acapulco on Thursday, leaving at least 28 inmates dead in one of the worst outbreaks of violence in the country’s troubled penal system in recent years.

Acapulco is the biggest city in Guerrero, one of Mexico’s most lawless states and a centre of opium poppy production that has been a major concern to US officials.

The prison carnage was particularly embarrassing to Mexico as it came the same day US Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly was visiting Guerrero, located in the southwestern part of the country.

Guerrero state security official Roberto Alvarez told reporters the fight broke out between rival gangs in the maximum-security wing of the prison. In addition to 28 dead, three people were injured, he said.

Authorities found bodies throughout the wing, inside and outside the kitchen, as well as the area for conjugal visits, he said. A law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said four of the dead were decapitated.