Guatemala prisoners beheaded in grisly gang fight between MS-13 and Barrio 18

At least seven prisoners died in the fight between the two rival gangs

Police officers enter the Cantel men’s prison in Quetzaltenango department, 205 km west of Guatemala City on 19 May, 2021. (AFP via Getty Images)

At least seven prisoners at a Guatemalan jail were reportedly killed during a fight between two rival gangs that saw several people beheaded.

Police have said that several of the seven people killed in the grisly fight between members of the Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13, and the Barrio 18 gangs, were beheaded.

Guatemala’s Ministry of the Interior confirmed the incident in a statement, describing the incident as a riot.

While it said least seven people have been confirmed killed, local media outlets have suggested the number could be higher.

Hundreds of police officers were reportedly deployed to Cantel prison in Quetzaltenango in response to the deadly fight, National Police spokesman Jorge Aguilar said.

Mr Aguilar told the AFP news agency that the incident was sparked by a confrontation between the two gangs.

He did not provide the details of the fight or what prompted it.

However, citing police sources, local media have reported that one of the inmates at the jail had ordered an attack in retaliation for the murder of his wife after she was shot dead by two men on motorbikes hours earlier.

Both MS-13 and Barrio 18 had their origins in Los Angeles, but today, the two gangs are responsible for much of the violence that unfolds in Northern Triangle countries, including Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

The two gangs are known as bitter rivals, vying to be the dominant force in Central America.