359 confirmed dead in Honduras prison fire

A fire that swept through a prison in Honduras overnight has killed at least 359 people.

A senior official at the attorney general's office, Danelia Ferrera, said 359 people died in the blaze that began late last night at the prison in Comayagua, about 75km north of the capital Tegucigalpa.

Ms Ferrera said: "It's a terrible scene ... Our staff went into the cells and the bodies are charred, most of them are unrecognisable.

She added that they would have to use dental records and DNA in many cases to identify those killed.

The head of the national prison system, Danilo Orellana, said that there were around 800 inmates in the prison at the time.

Security Minister Pompeyo Bonilla warned this afternoon that there were likely to be "more than 300" fatalities once the rescue operation is complete.

"We are pulling out bodies. The situation is serious. Most have suffocated," Mr Orellana said.

Officials investigating the cause of the blaze are looking at the theory that the fire was triggered by an electrical short-circuit.

The facility is located 140km north of the Central American country's capital, Tegucigalpa.

Radio reports from Comayagua said dozens of prisoners were burned beyond recognition as they were trapped in their cells.

Most of the prison is understood to have been destroyed in the fire.

Witnesses said some of the inmates escaped the blaze by jumping from the prison roof.

There are reports that some of them have fled the facility and are on the loose.

Meanwhile, relatives are waiting for news about the fate of their loved ones.

At the break of dawn, there were already hundreds lined up at the prison gates.

Honduras has the highest murder rate in the world, according to the United Nations, and there are frequent riots and clashes between members of rival street gangs in its overcrowded prisons.