Two dead in Thai prison riot

BANGKOK - TWO prisoners were shot dead and up to 40 injured after the discovery of an apparent escape attempt from the maximum security wing of a Thai jail sparked a riot, an official said on Thursday.

Around 50 inmates armed with knives, rocks and bottles attacked guards at the prison in Ratchaburi province, west of Bangkok, after authorities discovered cuts to a security fence, the jail commander told AFP.

'At first we couldn't control the situation because we didn't have enough manpower, but later we got support from the police,' Surachai Phumkaew said.

'We tried to negotiate with them but five to 10 prisoners refused to lay down their arms, so we had to use a last resort to control the situation.'

Authorities opened fire on the group, leaving two dead, while Mr Surachai said up to 40 inmates had also suffered minor injuries in the riot. He said the situation was under control.

The unrest was sparked when guards found cuts to the fence separating the high security unit, which houses 140 inmates, from other parts of the prison and tried to investigate whether a prisoner had sought to escape. All prisoners were accounted for after the riot, Mr Surachai said. -- AFP