Death toll from prison fire in Honduras reaches 359

A prisoner started the fire at the jail in the city of Comayagua, about 75 kilometers north of the capital Tegucigalpa, on Tuesday night.

The recent fatality, which occurred on Sunday, is the sixth one to have been caused by ‘kidney failure due to the depth of the burns,’ said a hospital spokesperson.

Out of 30 bodies identified so far, 16 have been sent to their families to be prepared for burial.

The prison was built to house 500 inmates, but a government report showed that, on any given day, 800 people were imprisoned there.

Reacting to the incident, President Porfirio Lobo has reportedly suspended top officials from the country's prison system.