Inmates attempted to break out of a high-security prison in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital, k!lling 129 people, according to authorities.
Interior Minister Jacquemain Shabani said that 24 convicts di3d from bullet wounds after warning rounds were fired in the early hours of Monday morning.
The majority of the others died of asphyxia caused by a crush during the Makala Prison breakout.
Despite allegations of huge casualties on Monday, the administration first claimed that only two individuals had perished.
Seven years ago, at least 4,000 convicts escaped from the nation’s largest jail.
“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.
On Monday, residents near the prison reported hearing gunshots, but journalists’ attempts to reach the location were hindered by police officials who had restricted entry to the area.
Graphic videos leaked from inside the prison on Monday, but not authenticated by the BBC, showed motionless bodies on the floor and others screaming for aid during a crush.
Mr Shabani broadcast a video on X, formerly Twitter, around 24 hours after the attempted breakout, admitting the severity of the situation and the death toll.
He further stated that almost 60 people had been critically hurt and sent to the hospital.
