Authorities in Peru say nine prisoners were killed earlier this week when a protest demanding better healthcare amid the coronavirus outbreak turned violent.
Inmates at the Miguel Castro prison rioted Monday after two fellow inmates died of COVID-19, which has spread unchecked through Peru’s notoriously overcrowded prisons. At least 13 inmates have died from the disease, out of a total of 600 infections. Over 100 prison workers have also been diagnosed with COVID-19.
Along with better healthcare, the inmates were also calling on President Martin Vizcarra to grant them humanitarian pardons.
Earlier this week, President Martin Vizcarra extended a national quarantine until May 10 following a surge in COVID-19 cases, but no plan was unveiled for inmates.
Reuters news agency is reporting that the total number of COVID-19 infections in Peru has gone over the 30,000 mark, the second highest total in Latin America after Brazil, with 782 people deaths.
