DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria's state-run news agency says eight prisoners have died of suffocation and burns after an inmate set fire to mattresses.
The fire broke out Monday in the coastal city of Latakia. SANA quoted Latakia police chief Kamal Fleih as saying prisoners were mostly murder and drug convicts.
He said two policemen were wounded while trying to extinguish the fire.
Latakia already has become a flashpoint for violence in recent weeks as Syria faces a wave of antigovernment protests.
The city has a potentially volatile mix of different religious groups.
