Attack on a prison in Mexico results in 19 deaths.

     REUTERS /Jose Luis Gonzalez

Authorities reported that a prison attack in Juarez, Mexico, left 19 people dead and allowed a cartel boss and twenty other inmates to escape.

According to Defense Minister Luis Crescencio Sandoval, an armed force with armoured vehicles attacked the prison and the municipal police station practically simultaneously.

Authorities claimed that the incident on Sunday morning happened as people were getting ready to visit on New Year's Day. Initially, they claimed that at least 14 people had died, but on Monday, according to Sandoval, that number had increased to 19—10 guards, seven detainees, and two assailants.

Ernesto Alfredo Pinon de la Cruz, also known as "El Neto," was one of the 25 prisoners who managed to escape due to the assault. Security Minister Rosa Icela Rodriguez stated during the press conference that Pinon is a key gunman for the "Los Mexicles" cartel, which has its headquarters in Juarez.

To keep the turmoil under control, federal authorities were contacted. According to Rodriguez, who criticised the Chihuahua state administration, they later discovered a "VIP zone" with drugs and cash within the state-run prison.

Because federal authorities are unable to interfere in certain situations, the state is responsible for it, according to Rodriguez.

She continued by saying that state officials had not asked that any violent inmates, like "El Neto," be moved from the overcrowded prison to a higher-security facility.

In reaction to the attack, state officials will "totally clean out the penal system," according to state prosecutor Roberto Javier Duarte, who also promised that those found guilty of corruption would face legal action.