Health officials in Herat said that eight prisoners were killed and 12 people, including security forces, were injured in the revolt in the province’s prison on Wednesday.
Jilani Farhad, spokesperson for Herat governor’s office, told Reporterly on Thursday, that the riots took place after the police started confiscating prohibited items and furniture inside the prison.
Herat Prison Director Maiwand Samadi said that the riots started at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, while food was being distributed and soon spread.
Residents nearby heard the sound of heavy firing as security personnel had to be deployed to the prison to manage the riot.
Samadi said the riot ended at 2 a.m.
Mohammad Rafiq Sherzai, spokesperson for the Herat Department of Public Health, said that the dead were all prisoners, one of whom was killed by a bullet and the other seven by unknown causes. The injured include eight prisoners and four security personnel.
The Herat governor’s office said that seven were killed and eight injured in the clashes. He said that the prisoners had set fire to parts of the prison to escalate the riots, but none had managed to escape.
The Prison Director claimed that only one person was killed while 18 were wounded, including eight security personnel.
There are currently more than 2,500 prisoners in Herat Central Prison, including 100 women, on various charges.
