Six dead in Mexico prison riot

MEXICO CITY - At least six inmates died in a prison riot on yesterday in the notorious northern Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez, the Reforma daily said on its website.

Two rival gangs fought each other at visiting time in the city's municipal jail in an incident sparked by a knife attack on a prisoner on Friday, Reforma reported.

Twelve people were also injured in the fighting and security forces later regained control of the prison, the newspaper said.

Ciudad Juarez, across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas, is a drug smuggling center and has the reputation of being one of Mexico's most violent cities.

More than 340 women have been murdered there since 1993 in killings that have provoked outrage in Mexico and abroad. Rights groups have criticized authorities' handling of the investigations, saying they were tarnished by inefficiency and corruption.

- REUTERS