Fire in Venezuela prison kills 17 people, prosecutor says

Eight women and nine men were killed by the fire at the prison in the state of Carabobo, the statement said. The cause of the blaze was being investigated but there was no immediate indication of how it started, it said.

Carlos Nieto, director of prison rights group Window To Freedom, said inmates told him an electrical fault had caused the fire.

"It was due to negligence by authorities in not having adequate prison conditions," Nieto said.

Prison authorities did not respond to requests for comment.

Jails in Venezuela are severely overcrowded, housing 55,000 inmates even though they are designed for around a third of that number, Nieto said.

Riots, breakouts and deaths are common. Jails are often run by heavily armed inmates who have easy access to drugs and cellphones.