SANTIAGO (Chile), Dec 8: A fire set off during a riot in a severely overcrowded prison killed at least 83 inmates on Wednesday and seriously injured at least 14 others, firefighters said. Chileans nationwide could hear inmates screaming after a prisoner used an illegal cell phone to call state television for help.

“The conditions that existed inside this prison are absolutely inhumane,” said Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, who visited an emergency centre where inmates were being treated for severe burns and smoke inhalation.

National prison police director Luis Masferrer said the blaze broke out at about 5:30am (7:30 a.m. EST; 1230 GMT) at the San Miguel prison south of the capital, and it was brought under control three hours later.

Chile’s health minister, Jaime Manalich, called it an “enormous calamity,” “probably the worst in the history of our penitentiary system.”

Hundreds of anxious and angry relatives of inmates gathered in a chaotic scene outside the prison gates. Some told state television that prison police initially closed the gates to firefighters, impeding efforts by 10 responding units to control the blaze.

Police operations director Jaime Concha insisted police acted quickly despite coping with 1,900 inmates at the prison built for 700.—AP