A fight-out between rival gangs at a women’s prison in Honduras left 46&nbsp;dead with most burned to death. The death toll rose from 41 to 46, said the&nbsp;prosecutor's office on Wednesday after&nbsp;the first bodies were handed over to mourning families for burial.

Of the previously reported&nbsp;41 dead, 15 were either shot or stabbed, while the rest of the victims were burned to death at the prison in Tamara, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) northwest of the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa.

At least seven inmates were being treated at a Tegucigalpa hospital, Yuri Mora, the spokesperson for Honduras’ national police investigation agency, said on Tuesday, according to AP news agency.

“The forensic teams that are removing bodies confirm they have counted 41,” Mora had said on Tuesday. However, it is still unclear if&nbsp;all the victims were inmates.

<h2>Prez shocked</h2>

President Xiomara Castro said she was shocked by “monstrous murders of women” and added that the riot was “planned by maras with the knowledge and acquiescence of security authorities.”

“I am going to take drastic measures!” Castro wrote in her social media accounts.

The country's Deputy Security Minister, Julissa Villanueva, declared a state of emergency and promised to crack down on the violence.

She also authorised the "immediate intervention" of firefighters, police and military.

"The loss of human lives will not be tolerated," Villanueva said.

<h2>Barrio 18 gang</h2>

Local media reported that the prisoners belonged to the infamous Barrio 18 gang who broke into a cell block and shot other inmates or set them afire.

Hardly any prison rules are observed in the violence-hit country as inmates are said to wield wider control of the prison.

They were also apparently able to smuggle in guns and other weapons, a recurring problem in Honduran prisons.

A few relatives of the deceased prisoners said that the inmates in the prison had told them that they have been living in fear of the Barrio 18 gang.

“They (Barrio 18 members) were out of control, they were fighting with them all the time. That was the last time we talked,” Johanna Paola Soriano Euceda told AP, who was waiting for news about her mother Maribel Euceda, and sister, Karla Soriano—both serving sentences for drug trafficking.

Ruckus was witnessed outside the prison after another group of dozens of anxious, angry relatives gathered outside.

“We are here dying of anguish, of pain ... we don’t have any information,” said Salomon Garca, whose daughter is an inmate at the facility.

The Central American country is known for corruption and gang violence, which have infiltrated government institutions and seen the homicide rate soar, reports BBC.

Deadly prison riots have been one of the recurring problems in Honduras

In 2019, at least 18 people were killed in gang violence&nbsp;at a prison in the northern port city of Tela.

(With inputs from agencies)

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A fight-out between rival gangs at a women’s prison in Honduras left 46 dead with most burned to death. The death toll rose from 41 to 46, said the prosecutor's office on Wednesday after the first bodies were handed over to mourning families for burial.

A fight-out between rival gangs at a women’s prison in Honduras left 46 dead with most burned to death. The death toll rose from 41 to 46, said the prosecutor's office on Wednesday after the first bodies were handed over to mourning families for burial. Of the previously reported 41 dead, 15 were either shot or stabbed, while the rest of the victims were burned to death at the prison in Tamara, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) northwest of the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa. At least seven inmates were being treated at a Tegucigalpa hospital, Yuri Mora, the spokesperson for Honduras’ national police investigation agency, said on Tuesday, according to AP news agency. “The forensic teams that are removing bodies confirm they have counted 41,” Mora had said on Tuesday. However, it is still unclear if all the victims were inmates. Prez shocked President Xiomara Castro said she was shocked by “monstrous murders of women” and added that the riot was “planned by maras with the knowledge and acquiescence of security authorities.” “I am going to take drastic measures!” Castro wrote in her social media accounts. The country's Deputy Security Minister, Julissa Villanueva, declared a state of emergency and promised to crack down on the violence. She also authorised the "immediate intervention" of firefighters, police and military. "The loss of human lives will not be tolerated," Villanueva said. Barrio 18 gang Local media reported that the prisoners belonged to the infamous Barrio 18 gang who broke into a cell block and shot other inmates or set them afire. Hardly any prison rules are observed in the violence-hit country as inmates are said to wield wider control of the prison. They were also apparently able to smuggle in guns and other weapons, a recurring problem in Honduran prisons. A few relatives of the deceased prisoners said that the inmates in the prison had told them that they have been living in fear of the Barrio 18 gang. “They (Barrio 18 members) were out of control, they were fighting with them all the time. That was the last time we talked,” Johanna Paola Soriano Euceda told AP, who was waiting for news about her mother Maribel Euceda, and sister, Karla Soriano—both serving sentences for drug trafficking. Ruckus was witnessed outside the prison after another group of dozens of anxious, angry relatives gathered outside. “We are here dying of anguish, of pain ... we don’t have any information,” said Salomon Garca, whose daughter is an inmate at the facility. The Central American country is known for corruption and gang violence, which have infiltrated government institutions and seen the homicide rate soar, reports BBC. Deadly prison riots have been one of the recurring problems in Honduras In 2019, at least 18 people were killed in gang violence at a prison in the northern port city of Tela. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Death toll in Honduras women's prison violence rises to 46

At least&nbsp;36&nbsp;people were killed in weekend&nbsp;clashes&nbsp;in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/18-prisoners-dead-16-injured-after-clash-in-honduras-jail-269515">Honduran prisons</a> as the military and police try to regain control after a spate of murders linked to the criminal gangs plaguing the country.

On Sunday afternoon, 18 gang members died in a clash between inmates at El Porvenir&nbsp;prison, 60 kilometres&nbsp;north of the capital Tegucigalpa.

"Firearms, knives and machetes" were used in the brawl, which also left 10 wounded, Lieutenant Jose Coello, a spokesman for the National Inter-Institutional Security Force (Fusina), told local media.

On Friday night, 18 prisoners died and 16 were wounded in a shooting at the&nbsp;prison&nbsp;in the port town of Tela, northwest of the capital.

The killings came shortly after President Juan Orlando Hernandez - grappling with a wave of&nbsp;prison&nbsp;killings -&nbsp;ordered the army and the police on Tuesday to take control of the country's 27 prisons, which are badly overcrowded with some 21,000 inmates.

The security forces later said they were deploying about 1,200 military and police in 18 facilities classified as "high risk."

Hernandez announced the crackdown after the killings on December 14 of five members of the feared MS-13 gang by a fellow detainee at the high-security&nbsp;prison&nbsp;in La Tolva, east of Tegucigalpa.

That came just a day after Pedro Idelfonso Armas, the warden of&nbsp;Honduras's main high-security&nbsp;prison&nbsp;in Santa Barbara, El Pozo, was shot&nbsp;dead&nbsp;in the south of the country.

The security ministry had suspended Armas shortly before his death, amid an investigation into his presence during the October 26 murder of Magdaleno Meza, a drug kingpin whose confession and notebooks linked him to the president's brother, Juan Antonio "Tony" Hernandez.&nbsp;

Meza's account books were used as evidence in the New York trial of Hernandez, who was subsequently convicted on four counts of drug trafficking. He faces sentencing -&nbsp;possibly for life - in January.

The president condemned the conviction of his younger brother, saying it was based on "the testimony of confessed assassins."

A video circulating on social media shows the 52-year-old Armas talking with Meza when&nbsp;prison&nbsp;guards opened a locked gate, allowing a dozen inmates to burst in to stab and fatally shoot him.

In statements to the AFP, Meza's lawyer, Carlos Chajtur, publicly accused the government of having ordered his client to be killed in retaliation for having collaborated with US justice in the trial against Hernandez.

Watch:&nbsp;Mexico to help create 20,000 jobs in Honduras to curb migration

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Drugs, gangs, poverty

On Sunday night military and police chiefs told the press that the wave of violence inside prisons "is an escalation of the criminal world to try to prevent Fusina (...) from imposing the necessary controls in the country's penal centres".

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in&nbsp;Honduras&nbsp;(OHCHR) said it observed "with alarm the violence inside prisons", and urged the state "to guarantee the life and respect of human rights to those deprived of liberty and proceed to a prompt, effective and transparent investigation."

Honduras&nbsp;is plagued by drug trafficking, gangs, poverty and corruption.

It suffers one of the highest murder rates in the world outside areas of armed conflict, having registered 41.2 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2018.

To fight this scourge, Hernandez created a military police force financed by a new tax and built special prisons for gang members.

The sky-high crime rate has been a key factor behind a wave of migration toward the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-moved-to-freeze-ukraine-aid-90-minutes-after-trump-phone-call-report-269643">United States</a>, notably by minors who say they fear being forced into gangs.

At least 36 people were killed in weekend clashes in Honduran prisons as the military and police try to regain control after a spate of murders linked to the criminal gangs plaguing the country.

At least 36 people were killed in weekend clashes in Honduran prisons as the military and police try to regain control after a spate of murders linked to the criminal gangs plaguing the country. On Sunday afternoon, 18 gang members died in a clash between inmates at El Porvenir prison, 60 kilometres north of the capital Tegucigalpa. "Firearms, knives and machetes" were used in the brawl, which also left 10 wounded, Lieutenant Jose Coello, a spokesman for the National Inter-Institutional Security Force (Fusina), told local media. On Friday night, 18 prisoners died and 16 were wounded in a shooting at the prison in the port town of Tela, northwest of the capital. The killings came shortly after President Juan Orlando Hernandez - grappling with a wave of prison killings - ordered the army and the police on Tuesday to take control of the country's 27 prisons, which are badly overcrowded with some 21,000 inmates. The security forces later said they were deploying about 1,200 military and police in 18 facilities classified as "high risk." Hernandez announced the crackdown after the killings on December 14 of five members of the feared MS-13 gang by a fellow detainee at the high-security prison in La Tolva, east of Tegucigalpa. That came just a day after Pedro Idelfonso Armas, the warden of Honduras's main high-security prison in Santa Barbara, El Pozo, was shot dead in the south of the country. The security ministry had suspended Armas shortly before his death, amid an investigation into his presence during the October 26 murder of Magdaleno Meza, a drug kingpin whose confession and notebooks linked him to the president's brother, Juan Antonio "Tony" Hernandez. Meza's account books were used as evidence in the New York trial of Hernandez, who was subsequently convicted on four counts of drug trafficking. He faces sentencing - possibly for life - in January. The president condemned the conviction of his younger brother, saying it was based on "the testimony of confessed assassins." A video circulating on social media shows the 52-year-old Armas talking with Meza when prison guards opened a locked gate, allowing a dozen inmates to burst in to stab and fatally shoot him. In statements to the AFP, Meza's lawyer, Carlos Chajtur, publicly accused the government of having ordered his client to be killed in retaliation for having collaborated with US justice in the trial against Hernandez. Watch: Mexico to help create 20,000 jobs in Honduras to curb migration Drugs, gangs, poverty On Sunday night military and police chiefs told the press that the wave of violence inside prisons "is an escalation of the criminal world to try to prevent Fusina (...) from imposing the necessary controls in the country's penal centres". The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Honduras (OHCHR) said it observed "with alarm the violence inside prisons", and urged the state "to guarantee the life and respect of human rights to those deprived of liberty and proceed to a prompt, effective and transparent investigation." Honduras is plagued by drug trafficking, gangs, poverty and corruption. It suffers one of the highest murder rates in the world outside areas of armed conflict, having registered 41.2 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2018. To fight this scourge, Hernandez created a military police force financed by a new tax and built special prisons for gang members. The sky-high crime rate has been a key factor behind a wave of migration toward the United States, notably by minors who say they fear being forced into gangs.

Prison clashes leave 36 dead in Honduras

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Death toll in Honduras women's prison violence rises to 46

Prison clashes leave 36 dead in Honduras