16 killed in prison fire

San Salvador, El Salvador (AP):

A fire tore through a prison north of El Salvador's capital on Wednesday, killing at least 16 young inmates and injuring 22. Ten of the injured were listed in serious condition with burns, said Mauricio Ventura, director of the Rosales Hospital in the capital, San Salvador.

The small prison in the city of Ilobasco held 96 inmates, 43 of whom were in the cell block affected by the fire. A final count of the inmates showed five were not injured.

Most of the prisoners had served time in facilities for youthful offenders and were transferred to Ilobasco after they turned 18 to serve out any remaining sentences. Initial reports indicate the fire was accidental and may have been caused by an electrical short circuit, said Red Cross spokesman Carlos Lopez Mendoza.

Police said they were still investigating the cause of the blaze. "When the fire started, the young men were still in their cells, and some were asleep," Lopez Mendoza said.