Overview

• The riot erupted Saturday at the overcrowded Tuxpan facility as inmates demanded protection from alleged threats posed by a violent criminal cell
• Veracruz’s state security secretariat reported that seven inmates died and 11 were injured before order was restored early Sunday
• Guatemala’s foreign ministry confirmed that five of the dead were its citizens, with one Guatemalan inmate wounded and three others unharmed
• The Guatemalan consulate is coordinating with Mexican authorities to verify identities and arrange the repatriation of the victims’ bodies
• Authorities in Veracruz are investigating the incident against a backdrop of chronic overcrowding and ongoing cartel-linked conflicts in the state’s prisons