Four dead, 21 injured after in prison riot in northern Mexico

Inmates of a prison in northern Mexico rioted at a psychiatric and medical block, broke into a prison pharmacy and took drugs that caused the deaths of four of them.

State officials say inmates rioted at a psychiatric and medical block in a prison in northern Mexico, broke into a prison pharmacy and took drugs that caused the deaths of four of them.

Smoke rises from inside the Cadereyta prison after a riot broke out at the prison, in Cadereyta, on the outskirts of Monterrey, Mexico March 27, 2017. (Reuters)

Twenty-one more were injured, including one guard, according to a Nuevo Leon state government statement on Wednesday

The complex chain of events at the prison in Cadereyta started earlier this week when inmates protested a new program to inspect visitors with a type of X-ray machine to prevent contraband being smuggled into the facility. That prompted a smaller disturbance.

But on Tuesday state security spokesman Aldo Fasci said about 56 inmates at a psychiatric block burned about 200 cells and furnishings. Some then broke into the prison pharmacy, where four of them apparently overdosed on medications stored there.

However, it was unclear whether all four died from medications; local media reported three of the bodies were charred and thus may have died in the fires.