7 inmates killed in South Carolina prison fight, 17 injured

French-prison

FILE PHOTO: Prison

FILE PHOTO: Prison

Seven inmates were killed and 17 others wounded after fighting erupted at an all-male maximum security prison in South Carolina, officials said on Monday.

The violence broke out at the Lee Correctional Institution in Bishopville at 7.15 p.m. on Sunday, the South Carolina Department of Corrections said.

It noted that the situation was only brought under control at 2.55 a.m. on Monday, nearly eight hours later.

“The incident involved multiple inmates on altercations in three housing units,” prison officials wrote on Twitter, adding that all officers and staff were unharmed and accounted for.

Lee Correctional Institution houses around 1,500 adult male inmates considered as dangerous and violent offenders.

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