Fire in crowded Chile prison kills 81 inmates

SANTIAGO: A jail fire killed at least 81 inmates in Santiago Wednesday in what officials said was the worst disaster on record in Chile's overcrowded and "inhumane" prison system.

Another 21 people were wounded, with 14 of them in serious condition, after the blaze erupted during a brawl and swept through the crowded prison, where 1,900 inmates were packed into a facility built for 900.

"This is such a huge and painful tragedy," Chilean President Sebastian Pinera said during a visit to the site. "We cannot continue to have an inhumane prison system... It has been a disgrace for decades."

He said just six prison guards were posted in the ward where the fire broke out, with 26 guards in the entire prison.

Pinera initially set the toll from the fire at 83 but authorities later revised it down to 81.

Three police officers and a prison guard were among the injured, officials said.