An attempted breakout at a high-security prison in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, has resulted in the deaths of 129 people, according to authorities.
Interior Minister Shabani Lukoo reported that 24 prisoners were killed by bullet wounds after warning shots were fired early Monday morning. The majority of the other fatalities were due to suffocation caused by a crush during the escape attempt at Makala Prison.
Although reports of mass casualties surfaced on Monday, the government initially stated that only two people had died.
This incident follows a similar one seven years ago when at least 4,000 inmates escaped from the same prison, the largest in the country.
On Monday, residents near the prison reported hearing gunfire, but journalists attempting to access the area were blocked by police officers.
“There were gunshots from 01:00 or 02:00 in the morning, and until around 05:00,” Daddi Soso, who lives close to the prison, told the AFP news agency.
“There were deaths and there are people who fled,” he said, adding that the security forces were taking bodies away.
Graphic videos being shared from inside the prison on Monday, but not verified by the BBC, showed lifeless bodies on the floor as well as people shouting for help amid a crush.
Mr Lukoo posted a video on X, formerly Twitter, around 24 hours after the attempted breakout, acknowledging the extent of the incident and the death toll.
“This is also an opportunity to commend all the security services, the national police, and the army, who responded quickly and were able to contain the situation, preventing the escape,” he said.
“It should be noted that there were indeed damages, including loss of life, injuries and especially material damage at the central prison.
“Unfortunately, the administration and registry offices caught fire. These are urgent situations that we are currently addressing.”
Footage from the aftermath of the attempted breakout shows a large hole in a brick wall, charred buildings, firefighters at the scene, and an office littered with papers.
Makala Prison, which has a capacity of 1,500 inmates, was holding over 14,000 prisoners, according to AFP.
In 2020, a BBC report featured a prison official who described the dire conditions at the facility, including food shortages and poor hygiene, which were causing deaths.
At that time, it was estimated that only 6% of the prisoners were actually serving sentences, while the rest were trapped in the DR Congo’s slow-moving legal system, where cases can take years to resolve.