Honduras

272 killed in Honduras prison fire

Tegucigalpa, Honduras (CNN) -- At least 272 people were killed in a fire at a prison in central Honduras, a local fire department said Wednesday.

The blaze was under control, but the exact number of fatalities remained unknown, said Jose Turcios, spokesman for the Comayagua, Honduras, fire department.

Some 35 prisoners were transported to a local hospital, he said, and some were then taken to a hospital in the capital.

Five of the prison's units -- more than half of the prison -- were affected by the fire, Turcios said. The prison holds 851 prisoners.

The cause of the blaze is under investigation, he said.

The country's prison commissioner said authorities are looking into whether a short circuit sparked the fire or if possibly a prisoner set a mattress on fire.

The blaze broke out at 11 p.m. Tuesday (12 a.m. Wednesday ET).

Before dawn Wednesday, families of the prisoners were already gathering in front of the prison gates and officials' offices, demanding to know if their loved ones were among the survivors.

The fire was the third fatal prison fire in recent years. In 2003, 61 prisoners were killed in a fire at a prison in La Ceiba. In 2004, the death toll was 107 from a fire in a San Pedro Sula prison.