Deadly Stampede: Congo Prison Break Turns Tragic

An attempted jailbreak at Makala Central Prison in Kinshasa, Congo's largest penitentiary, resulted in at least 129 deaths, primarily from a stampede, and 24 inmates were shot dead amid the chaos. Overcrowding, with more than 12,000 inmates in a facility designed for 1,500, exacerbated the situation.

An attempted jailbreak in Congo's main prison in the capital left at least 129 people dead, most of them in a stampede, authorities said on Tuesday.

A provisional assessment showed that 24 inmates were shot dead by "warning" gunshots as they tried to escape from the overcrowded Makala Central Prison in Kinshasa early Monday, Congolese Interior Minister Jacquemin Shabani said on the social platform X.

There are also 59 injured people taken into care by the government, as well as some cases of women raped, he said, adding that order has been restored at the prison, part of which was burned in the attack.

(With inputs from agencies.)