A toddler was among the 10 people killed in a riot at a prison in Mexico, with the violence breaking out during visiting hours. The incident occurred on Thursday morning at the El Castillo Penitentiary in the port city of Mazatlan, in the state of Sinaloa.
Sinaloa's Public Security Secretariat said on X that nine inmates and one family member were killed, while 16 prisoners were taken for medical treatment after being injured. Local media reported that inmates used firearms during the fight. The cause of the riot has not been established, and it is unclear how many of the prison's 1,800 inmates were involved. No further information has been issued on the condition of the 16 injured.
Victim identified as visiting toddler
It has now been confirmed that the family member killed was a two-year-old child who was visiting the prison with a parent, according to local outlets Excélsior, La Jornada, El Sol de Mazatlán and El Universal, citing the Sinaloa State Security Secretariat. The deceased child's father was among those injured.
Following the clash, members of the army, National Guard, navy and state security forces entered the prison to restore order. Shortly after, Mexico's federal security cabinet said the prison is now “under control.”
Context of violence and overcrowding
Analysts say overcrowding, driven in part by the use of pretrial detention — which keeps thousands of prisoners behind bars without a sentence — combined with insufficient prison staff, has fueled corruption and violence inside prisons. Last May, a riot broke out at a prison in Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa, leaving seven inmates dead and another injured.
Mexico has 276 prisons, including 14 federal penitentiaries and 249 state prisons. The prison population reached 261,388 people as of February, according to official figures.
Violence erupted in Sinaloa in September 2024 amid an internal power struggle between two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, pitting the sons of convicted former drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, known as “Los Chapitos,” against followers of another detained former cartel leader, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
Second riot within 24 hours
The Thursday riot comes as Mexico's government faces pressure from the Trump administration to crack down on cartels. Less than 24 hours after Thursday's riot, another riot at the same prison claimed the lives of two inmates, Sinaloa authorities said, according to El Sol de Mazatlán, Excélsior and La Jornada.
