Image copyright Reuters Image caption Riot police entered the prison after the deadly fight

A fight between rival gangs in a prison in south-western Mexico has left at least 28 inmates dead, officials say.

The pre-dawn fight broke out in the maximum security wing of Las Cruces prison in the city of Acapulco.

The victims were stabbed and beaten to death, with some decapitated. The governor has ordered an investigation.

Acapulco is the largest city in Guerrero state, one of Mexico's most violent areas and a big centre for drug production.

Bodies were discovered throughout the unit, including inside the kitchen and in an area for conjugal visits, said Roberto Álvarez, a state security spokesman.

There were no signs that weapons were used, he added. The investigation would also focus on the prison staff.

"The incident was triggered by a permanent feud between rival groups within the prison," he said.

Federal police and the army set up a security cordon outside the Las Cruces prison, which is reportedly overcrowded, with more than 2,000 inmates.

Acapulco used to be one of Mexico's most popular tourist spots, but has seen a rise in violence as criminal gangs fight for control over illegal activities. It has become one of the country's deadliest cities.

Image copyright EPA Image caption Inmates' relatives tore down a security fence of the prison after hearing news of the deadly fight

This is the latest in a series of violent incidents across Mexico this year. May was the deadliest month in the country since 1997, when official statistics began, with 2,186 homicides.

From December 2006 until May this year, there were 188,567 murders, according to government records.</s>ACAPULCO, Mexico - Mexican officials say 28 inmates have been killed and three wounded when rival gangs fought inside a state prison in the Pacific resort of Acapulco before dawn Thursday. Officials initially gave a death count of five, but later raised the toll from the riot after more bodies were found scattered throughout the prison.

Start the conversation, or Read more at The Washington Post.</s>Rioting inmates at a Mexican prison slit their rivals’ throats and beat them to death Thursday, leaving 28 dead in the latest explosion of violence in the country’s often lawless jails.

Bodies were found strewn around the maximum-security wing, the kitchen, a prison yard and a conjugal visits area after the pre-dawn riot at the Las Cruces federal prison in Acapulco, said the security spokesman for the state of Guerrero.

“The incident was triggered by an ongoing feud between rival groups within the prison,” the spokesman, Roberto Alvarez, told a press conference.

It was the latest deadly riot in Mexico’s chronically overcrowded prisons, where corruption abounds, inmates often have de facto control, and contraband weapons and drugs are rife.

The Guerrero governor has ordered an investigation of all prison staff, Alvarez said. State police have temporarily taken control of the prison, backed by federal police and the army, which set up a security cordon outside.

Officials initially gave a death toll of five and indicated the riot was limited to the maximum-security wing. But the toll soared as police searched the rest of the prison.

Three more inmates were wounded in the violence, Alvarez said.

Guards said some of the victims had their throats slit, according to an internal state police report. It also said gunshots had been fired in the maximum-security wing, apparently by prisoners.

There was a heavy security presence outside the prison, with soldiers and riot police encircling the compound and two helicopters hovering overhead.

Dozens of anxious relatives had gathered, demanding news on their loved ones. Some shouted at police and tried to force their way through the wall of officers’ shields.

Corruption, gangs, escapes

 This was Mexico’s deadliest prison violence since 49 inmates were killed in February 2016 in a riot at the Topo Chico prison in Monterrey, in the northeast.

Mexico’s prisons are frequently hit by riots, killings and jailbreaks. This year has already seen shootouts, fires and the escape of 29 inmates in the northern state of Tamaulipas.

That is the same state where seven people were killed, including three police, when officers stormed the Ciudad Victoria prison in June to regain control from prisoners who had been stockpiling guns.

In March, the son of Juan Jose Esparragoza, a founder of the powerful Sinaloa drug cartel, escaped from prison in Sinaloa, the northwestern state that is the cartel’s home base.

And the cartel’s kingpin, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, has made two spectacular prison escapes, one in 2001 and another in 2015. Recaptured in 2016, he was extradited last January to the United States, where he is being held in solitary confinement.

Experts say organized crime networks often operate from inside Mexican prisons with the complicity of corrupt officials.

After the Monterrey riot last year, authorities found dozens of knives, cocaine and flat-screen TVs inside, highlighting the control drug cartels had over the prison.

Acapulco, a resort town on Mexico’s Pacific coast, has been hit by grisly violence between rival drug cartels in recent years.

It is just one of the hotspots in Mexico’s war on drugs.

The country has seen a wave of bloodshed in the past decade that has left more than 200,000 people dead or missing as drug cartels wage war on each other and Mexican security forces.</s>ACAPULCO, Mexico — Fighting erupted between rival gangs inside a state prison before dawn Thursday, and 28 inmates were killed and three wounded, officials in the Pacific resort said.

Authorities had initially reported five deaths, but later raised the toll more bodies were found scattered throughout the prison.

Robert Alvarez Heredia, the Guerrero state security spokesman, said in a statement that the fighting broke out around 4 a.m. He said security forces later regained control and slowly began discovering bodies in a kitchen, a cellblock and other areas.

“The incident began because of the constant dispute between rival groups inside the prison,” Alvarez said.

State police said the prison population is more than 2,000.

A brawl between rival drug gangs at an overcrowded penitentiary in northern Mexico in February resulted in 49 inmates being killed, Mexico’s deadliest prison melee in years. That clash was between inmates aligned with the Zetas and Gulf drug cartels.

In June, Mexico’s governmental rights agency issued a report that said many of the country’s prisons are unsafe, overcrowded and understaffed. The report warned of insufficient staff, unsafe procedures and poor medical care at many facilities.

The National Human Rights Commission said it surveyed conditions at over 190 state, local and federal jails. It found that inmates often controlled some areas of prisons or had contraband inside.

Guerrero has been one of Mexico’s most violent states and the once-glamorous resort of Acapulco has struggled with a high number of killings.</s>Rioting inmates at a Mexican prison slit their rivals' throats and beat them to death Thursday, leaving 28 dead and three wounded, officials said.

Bodies were found strewn around the maximum-security wing, the kitchen, a prison yard and a conjugal visits area after the pre-dawn riot at the Las Cruces federal prison, said the security spokesman for the state of Guerrero, Roberto Alvarez.

"The incident was triggered by a permanent feud between rival groups within the prison," he told a press conference.

State police have regained control of the prison, backed by federal police and the army, which set up a security cordon outside, he said.

The governor has ordered an investigation, including of prison staff, he said.

Officials initially gave a death toll of five. Alvarez had earlier said that victims were stabbed and beaten to death.

Guards said some of the victims had their throats slit, according to an internal state police report. It also said gunshots had been fired in the maximum-security wing, apparently by prisoners.

There was a heavy security presence outside the prison, with soldiers and riot police encircling the compound and two helicopters hovering overhead.

Dozens of anxious relatives had gathered, demanding news on their loved ones.

Mexico's chronically overcrowded prisons are frequently hit by riots and jailbreaks.

This was the deadliest since 49 inmates were killed in February 2016 in a riot at the Topo Chico prison in Monterrey, in the northeast.

Inmates have de facto control over many of Mexico's jails.

Contraband weapons and drugs are rife, and experts say organized crime networks often operate from inside prison walls.

After the Monterrey riot last year, authorities found dozens of knives, cocaine and flat-screen TVs inside, highlighting the control drug cartels had over the prison.

Acapulco, a resort town on Mexico's Pacific coast, has been hit by grisly violence between warring drug cartels in recent years.

It is just one of the hotspots in Mexico's war on drugs.

The country has seen a wave of bloodshed in the past decade that has left more than 200,000 people dead or missing as drug cartels wage war on each other and Mexican security forces.</s>Mexican officials say 28 inmates have been killed and three wounded when rival gangs fought inside a state prison in the Pacific resort of Acapulco before dawn Thursday.

Officials initially gave a death count of five, but later raised the toll from the riot after more bodies were found scattered throughout the prison.

Guerrero state security spokesman Roberto Alvarez Heredia says the fighting broke out around 4 a.m. A statement from Alvarez says security forces regained control and slowly began discovering the bodies.

State police say the prison population is more than 2,000.

Guerrero has been one of Mexico's most violent states and the once-glamorous resort of Acapulco has struggled with a high number of killings.</s>Some 28 inmates have been killed and three wounded after rival gangs fought inside a prison in the Mexican resort of Acapulco.

Officials initially gave a death toll of five but later raised the figure after more bodies were found scattered throughout the state prison.

Guerrero state security spokesman Roberto Alvarez Heredia said the fighting broke out at around 4am. He said security forces regained control and slowly began discovering the bodies.

State police said the prison population is more than 2,000.

Guerrero has been one of Mexico’s most violent states and the once-glamorous resort of Acapulco has struggled with a high number of killings.</s>Mexico City, July 7 At least 28 prisoners were killed in a riot between the suspected members of rival gangs in a prison in Mexican state of Guerrero, officials said. Guerrero government on Thursday updated the toll from original five to 28 as police searched the prison.

Start the conversation, or Read more at India.com.</s>No fewer than 28 inmates have been killed in a brutal prison fight that broke outin Mexico. The fight was so brutal that some bodies were found decapitated. 3 people were also injured.The brutal massacre occurred when rival gangs clashed in the maximum-security wing of the prison in Acapulco.Bodies were found throughout the wing, inside and outside the kitchen, as well as the area for conjugal visits. A law enforcement official told Reuters four of the dead were decapitated. All the casualties were due to wounds from sharp improvised weapons that were fashioned by inmatesGuerrero state security official Roberto Alvarez told reporters that the prison was close to 30 percent over capacity. It was built for 1,624 inmates but had 1,951 men and 110 women in it.This recent bloodbath is one of the worst outbreaks of violence in the country's troubled penal system in recent years. The prison violence is believed to be as a result of a battle for control among drug gangs following a power vacuum created by the January deportation of Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman to the United States.The United States and Mexico are discussing how to crack down on the cartels now that most of the established capos have been killed or captured in a decade-long, military-led campaign, Mirror reports.</s>Rioting inmates at a Mexican prison slit their rivals’ throats and beat them to death, leaving 28 dead and three wounded, officials said. Bodies were found strewn around the maximum-security wing, the kitchen, a prison yard and a conjugal visits area after the pre-dawn riot at the Las Cruces federal prison, said the security spokesman for the state of Guerrero, Roberto Alvarez.

“The incident was triggered by a permanent feud between rival groups within the prison,” he told a press conference. State police have regained control of the prison, backed by federal police and the army, which set up a security cordon outside, he said.

The governor has ordered an investigation, including of prison staff, he said. Officials initially gave a death toll of five. Alvarez had earlier said that victims were stabbed and beaten to death.

Guards said some of the victims had their throats slit, according to an internal state police report. It also said gunshots had been fired in the maximum-security wing, apparently by prisoners. There was a heavy security presence outside the prison, with soldiers and riot police encircling the compound and two helicopters hovering overhead.

Dozens of anxious relatives had gathered, demanding news on their loved ones. Mexico’s chronically overcrowded prisons are frequently hit by riots and jailbreaks. This was the deadliest since 49 inmates were killed in February 2016 in a riot at the Topo Chico prison in Monterrey, in the northeast.

Inmates have de facto control over many of Mexico’s jails. Contraband weapons and drugs are rife, and experts say organized crime networks often operate from inside prison walls.

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A prison riot between rival gangs in Acapulco, Mexico, leaves at least 28 inmates dead.