Clashes between rival gangs erupted on Tuesday in a women’s prison in Honduras, resulting in a fire that claimed the lives of at least 41 individuals, according to the police. The “preliminary” death toll from this violent explosion in the prison, located approximately 25 km north of the capital Tegucigalpa, was reported by police spokesperson Edgardo Barahona, who could not confirm if all victims were inmates. The brawl also left five injured, who were transported to a hospital in the capital, added Barahona.

Honduran President Xiomara Castro expressed her distress on Twitter, describing the incident as a “monstrous assassination… planned by maras,” the criminal gangs terrorizing the country. She demanded accountability, particularly from the Minister of the Interior, while promising “drastic measures.”

Most of the victims perished in the fire, while others succumbed to gunshot wounds, according to the prosecutor’s spokesperson Yuri Mora. An investigation is underway to determine which gang was responsible for the attack.

According to Delma Ordoñez, a representative for the detainees’ families, the victims were members of the Mara Salvatrucha gang, indicating that the assault was carried out by inmates from the rival Barrio 18 gang. Ordoñez informed the press that members of one criminal gang broke into a cell of a rival gang and set it on fire. She added that the section of Tamara prison, housing around 900 women, was “completely destroyed” by the fire.

Hundreds of relatives of the detainees gathered near the prison seeking information. An visibly desperate man lamented, “We don’t know who the victims are.” Vice Minister of the Interior Julissa Villanueva announced on her Twitter account an “immediate intervention by firefighters, police, and military.”

The section of Tamara prison housing approximately 900 women was “completely destroyed” by the fire, according to Villanueva’s statements to the press. As per the prosecutor’s spokesperson, the majority of the victims died from the blaze, while others suffered fatal gunshot wounds. An investigation is underway to determine which gang attacked the detainees. According to Ordoñez, the victims belonged to the Mara Salvatrucha gang, suggesting that the aggression was carried out by inmates from the rival Barrio 18 gang.