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10 dead, 16 injured: Prison riot breaks out in Mexico's Sinaloa state; here's what happened
The violence took place on Thursday morning at the El Castillo Penitentiary in the port city of Mazatlan, in Sinaloa, Mexico.
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Ten people lost their lives and 16 were injured after a deadly riot at a prison in Sinaloa, Mexico. The incident took place during family visiting hours, state authorities noted.
The incident took place on Thursday morning, at the El Castillo Penitentiary in the port city of Mazatlan.
What happened in Sinaloa prison riot?
The Public Security Secretariat said that nine inmates had been killed in the prison riot, along with one family member. Sixteen prisoners were injured and then taken for medical treatment.
As per local media reports, inmates used firearms during the riot. Authorities are yet to share details on how the deaths occurred.
After the riot, army members, along with National Guard, navy and state security forces went into the prison to restore order. The federal security cabinet of Mexico said the prison, which houses 1800 inmates, is now ‘under control’.
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A statement, as translated by X, from Seguridad Pública Sinaloa read “The #SSPSinaloa reports that, on this October 8, 2026, the Directorate of the El Castillo Penitentiary Center reported that a fight broke out inside the prison facilities, in which, regrettably, 9 persons deprived of liberty lost their lives, 1 family visitor also perished, and 16 more persons deprived of liberty were injured; they have already been transferred to receive prehospital medical attention. Following these events, the Inter-Institutional Group took action to bring the situation under control. Currently, the Penitentiary Center is under control, and the presence of authorities is maintained to ensure the security of said facility.”
They added “Likewise, notice was given to the State Attorney General's Office, the entity that will carry out the corresponding investigations to clarify what happened and determine any resulting liabilities. On the other hand, Social Work personnel are establishing communication with the families of the deceased persons and will continue with these efforts to provide them with the relevant information. As a preventive measure and with the aim of safeguarding the integrity of persons deprived of liberty (PPL), administrative staff, and the families who would visit today, visitation to the Penitentiary Center has been suspended. It is important to note that the rest of the prison population is safe and that authorities maintain their presence at the site to preserve order and ensure security. We reiterate our commitment to act responsibly, keep the public informed, and collaborate with the relevant entities to clarify these events.”
The Thursday riot comes even as the Mexico government faces pressure from the Donald Trump administration to crack down on cartels.
Problems with Mexico's prisons
Mexico's prisons face a set of issues, including overcrowding, partly driven by the use of pretrial detention, due to which thousands of prisoners are kept behind bars without a sentence. This, along with insufficient prison staff, has led to corruption and violence inside prisons, as per analysts.
Last May, there was a riot at a prison in Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa, which left seven inmates dead and another injured. Mexico has 276 prisons, which includes 14 federal penitentiaries and 249 state prisons. The prison population hit 261,388 people as of February, as per official figures.
Violence also erupted in Sinaloa in September 2024 when there was an internal power struggle between two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel. It saw the sons of convicted former drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, known as “Los Chapitos,” pitted against followers of detained former cartel leader, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
(With AP inputs)
