At least forty-five people were killed and 50 more injured, following a riot at the Llanos Penitentiary Center in Venezuela on Friday.

Among the victims is a National Guard officer who was wounded by an explosion and a prison warden, who was stabbed.

The fracas started as inmates demanded their relatives be allowed to deliver food supplies at the facility. This was blocked as the country tries to curb the number of people visiting the jails, as a precautionary measure against COVID-19.

The country’s Prisons Minister, Iris Valera, confirmed the incident yesterday, saying the inmates attempted a jailbreak. That claim has been put under a magnifying glass however, with groups such as the Venezuelan Prison Observatory asking for further clarification.