CAIRO - At least six policemen and nine inmates were injured during a riot by prisoners at el-Qanater Prison on the outskirts of Cairo on Friday night, security sources said. "The prisoners started a riot inside the prison on Friday night," the sources said, adding that 940 inmates had burnt a number of cells, broke two main gates and climbed the fence of the facility to escape. The sources said that the trouble began with a confrontation between prisoners and guards that degenerated into a riot after the inmates started a fire. The prison guards opened fire to halt the riot, wounding at least nine inmates, they said, adding that six policemen were also hospitalised with injuries they had sustained during the clash. "Rounds of ammunition were fired as prisoners lit fires at the prison cells and smashed open two main gates to escape," the sources said. Sources at el-Qanater Prison Hospital said nine inmates were admitted with gunshot injuries and one of them was in a critical condition. "There were no escapes," the security officials confirmed, saying that more than 144 prisoners had been transferred to different floors after the fire.
