3 killed as Guatemalan prisoners riot

Rioting gang members fired dozens of gunshots, killing three inmates, and took two guards and two food service workers hostage in a southern Guatemala prison Monday, authorities said.

Hundreds of riot police stormed the penitentiary after four hours of rioting and freed the hostages, said prison system spokesman Nery Morales.

The three victims were shot dead by other inmates, Morales said.

The area of the prison where the shots were fired houses 18 members from the "Pandilla 18" gang, Morales said.

Riot police also detained prison guards for not responding to the uprising for four hours.

"We are investigating why the guards at the jail (did not respond), given that they have enough gas and shotguns to fire smoke grenades," Morales said.

Nine inmates have died in Guatemalan prisons this year, including four police officers who were accused of killing three Salvadoran legislators. The officers were slain inside a maximum-security prison at the end of February in a crime that remains unresolved.

Central American jails have long struggled with overcrowding and deadly riots that are often sparked by fights between gangs. Overcrowding is fueled in part by a regional gang crackdown that has filled prisons with rival groups.