"There was a fight between prisoners that resulted in the deaths of 20 inmates and injuries to 12 others at the penal center in Matamoros," the Tamaulipas public security secretariat said in a statement.
The brawl started between two inmates and quickly escalated, according to authorities, who said state and federal police had to be called in to restore order at the facility.
The prison has been the site of a number of high-profile escapes, the largest being in March 2010 when 41 inmates broke out, but the problem is state-wide.
Last year, a total of 340 prisoners escaped from the prisons across the region, amid reports of clashes inside the penal facilities and corrupt prison authorities aiding the break-outs.
One of seven Mexican states bordering the United States, Tamaulipas is a prime battleground for the powerful Los Zetas and Gulf cartels, whose rivalry often leads to bloody shootouts on city streets, and their incarcerated members clash in prisons.
Rising lawlessness as the cartels battle it out for lucrative smuggling routes into the United States, and clashes with Mexican police and military, have raised concerns on both sides of the border. (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
