At least three inmates were killed and 15 others injured in a fire that broke out during a standoff at a prison in eastern Lebanon, a security source said.

The Lebanese news agency ANI reported that 16 people were injured.

The fire started at Zahle prison after guards thwarted an escape attempt, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “Clashes then broke out between the security personnel and the inmates,” he explained.

Some of the prisoners set fire to their cells, as a result of which three people lost their lives and the prison “descended into chaos”. The flames quickly spread to the upper floors and the damage is significant as “whole cells were set on fire,” added the source who spoke to AFP.

The injured were taken to area hospitals.

More than 600 people are being held in Zahle prison, according to local media.

Lebanon’s prisons face a major overcrowding problem as they are overcrowded: the occupancy rate stands at 323%, according to the interior ministry. About 8,000 are pre-trial detainees, that is, those who are detained without having been tried yet. Red tape in the judicial system, exacerbated by the economic and institutional crisis after 2019, causes significant delays in the trial of cases and the announcement of sentences.