A prison in northern Mexico is under lockdown after a massive riot that left 52 prisoners dead Wednesday night.
Jaime Rodríguez Calderón, governor of the state of Nuevo León, where Topo Chico prison is located, blamed prison conditions in a press conference, calling the situation a "tragedy." Rodriguez said the riot escalated from a conflict between two prisoners, Jorge Ivan Hernández Cantu, also known as "El Credo" or "Comandante Credo" ("The Creed" or "Commander Creed"), and Juan Pedro Saldívar, also known as "Z-27."
It is not clear whether "Z-27" has a connection to the notorious Zetas drug cartel, which uses the letter Z followed by a number to identify members of its command structure.
Conflicting reports say the riot started after the murder of "El Credo," allegedly a commander in the Gulf Cartel, which has been fighting a violent war for territory along Mexico's northern border with the Zetas.
"El Credo's" murder was allegedly motivated by an upcoming escape attempt, according to some reports, thought authorities denied that.
Mexican Federal Police and Army and Marine units surrounded the prison, but it is still not clear whether they entered the installations. The violence was confined to two prison blocks, and authorities announced the rest of the prison remained safe throughout the incident.
Reforma newspaper reported an anonymous police source said the battle was waged with blunt objects and knives, and that no firearms were used.
Mexican prisons received worldwide attention in July, when Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, Mexico's most notorious criminal and drug lord, escaped from the federal maximum security El Altiplano prison. Topo Chico is a local prison, run by the state of Nuevo León.
Rodríguez, known colloquially as "El Bronco," was elected in 2015 as the first independent candidate to ever win statewide office in Mexico.