7 inmates killed, 11 injured in prison riot in eastern Mexico

Seven inmates were killed and at least 11 others injured during a riot at a prison in eastern Mexico, according to officials.

The violence began Saturday afternoon at the Social Reintegration Center (CERESO) in Tuxpan, and was brought under control by Sunday morning following a coordinated security operation, according to law enforcement officials in the state of Veracruz.

The state’s Public Security Secretariat said the riot began when a group of inmates started fires and carried out a series of disturbances that endangered the broader prison population.

Authorities deployed police units and coordinated with the Mexican Navy, Army, National Guard, and the State Human Rights Commission to contain the unrest.

According to an official update released Sunday morning, full control of the facility was restored following a joint operation around 9 a.m. The fires inside the prison were extinguished, and order was reestablished.

The riot resulted in the deaths of seven inmates, while 11 others were injured and taken to local hospitals for treatment. Their conditions have not been disclosed.

Officials confirmed that three inmates identified as key instigators of the violence were transferred to another facility. No further incidents were reported following their relocation.

While Mexico continues to grapple with widespread gang- and cartel-related violence, the state of Veracruz has recently experienced a surge in extortion and overall crime.

Among the most significant recent incidents in Veracruz was the killing of two taxi drivers, including 62-year-old Irma Hernández, a retired teacher who had turned to taxi driving. She was reportedly kidnapped and later appeared in a video, allegedly released by a regional cartel, serving as a warning to other drivers to comply with extortion demands. Her body was found days later.

In a separate incident in Tuxpan this week, the same city where Saturday’s prison riot occurred, a taxi driver was shot and wounded in an initial attack. After being taken to a local hospital, a gunman posing as a relative reportedly entered the facility and attempted to kill him. The driver’s father tried to intervene and was fatally shot. The taxi driver survived the second attempt on his life.