Gunmen hit Mexican prison, free 9 inmates

Hidalgo state Interior Minister, Simon Vargas said yet-to-be-identified gunmen stormed a Mexican prison and freed nine inmates on Thursday.

Vargas said the gunmen gained access to the prison in the central Mexican city of Tula by ramming their vehicles into the building, and setting two vehicles close to the prison to create a distraction.

Two security personnel were injured during the incident, the Mexican police said.

Among the inmates freed was the leader of a gang involved in fuel theft, local media reported, citing the authorities.

The man had been detained several days earlier on suspicion of murder and kidnapping.

Though not immediately confirmed, the media reports also had it that the criminals also detonated one car bomb.

Criminal gangs frequently tap pipelines in Mexico to steal petrol or gas.

An explosion at a petrol pipeline in Hidalgo in January 2019, killed at least 135 people.