DR Congo government says 129 killed in attempted prison break

KINSHASA (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo's government said at least 129 people were killed while trying to escape from the central Makala prison in the capital Kinshasa early on Monday, adding that the situation was now under control.

In a statement posted on X early on Tuesday, Interior Minister Shabani Lukoo said a fire had also broken out in the jail's administrative building, its food depots and a hospital. Some 59 people were wounded, he added.

"The mass escape attempt at Makala central prison resulted in the loss of life and significant material damage," he said in the video statement.

Earlier, a prison official had said no prisoners had succeeded in escaping, adding that those who tried to escape had been killed. The government was investigating the incident.

The break out attempt occurred around 2:00 a.m. (0100 GMT) on Monday. Prisoners told Reuters they had heard heavy gunfire, as well as sounds of prisoners outside.

(This story has been refiled to fix the prison escape date from 'late on Sunday' to 'early on Monday' in paragraphs 1 and 5)

(Reporting by Miral Fahmy, Lisa Barrington, Stanis Bujakera, Benoit Nyemba and Sonia Rolley; Editing by Neil Fullick)

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