Prison riot in Mexico's violence-plagued Sinaloa state kills 10 and leaves 16 injured

Mexican officials say a deadly riot broke out during family visiting hours at a prison in the violence-plagued state of SinaloaByThe Associated PressOctober 8, 2026, 11:26 PMMEXICO CITY -- A deadly riot broke out during family visiting hours Thursday at a prison in the violence-plagued state of Sinaloa in northwestern Mexico, state authorities said.The violence occurred Thursday morning at the El Castillo Penitentiary in the port city of Mazatlan.Sinaloa’s Public Security Secretariat said on X that nine inmates and one family member were killed in the incident, while 16 prisoners were taken for medical treatment after being injured. Local media reported that inmates used firearms during the fight.Authorities have not yet said how the deaths occurred.Following the clash, members of the army, National Guard, navy and state security forces entered the prison to restore order. Mexico's federal security cabinet said the prison, which houses 1,800 inmates, is now “under control.”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 insi...