A riot erupted at a satet prison in Turkey’s earthquake-stricken Van province after authorities refused to transfer frightened inmates to a safer place.

Van / NationalTurk – The state prison Van was damaged badly in the 7.2 magnitude earthquake. Shots rang out from the complex yestreday, and smoke billowed into the night sky after inmates set fire to their blankets in protest. Firemen were called in to put out the blaze. The riot is under control for now.

The prison, which can hold around 1,000 prisoners is located in the suburbs of Van, capital of the namesake province where at least 459 people have died in the earthquake in eastern Turkey.

Turkey Earthquake : Inmates are edgy and rebellious, just like the locals are

Relatives of the inmates gathered outside the prison shouting slogans lile “Erdogan – assassin” in reference to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Nearly 200 prisoners escaped from the prison after the earthquake, but 50 returned after meeting with their relatives, authorities reported. None of the inmates at large could be found or captured due to the chaos in the region.

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