Beirut, Oct 7 (IANS): Three prisoners were killed and 16 others injured in a fire inside a prison in Zahle, located in the Bekaa valley in eastern Lebanon, the media reported.

The fire was set by several prisoners as they were trying to escape from the prison due to dire living conditions there amid the current financial crisis, said the report on Friday.

Civil defence teams and the Red Cross staff have intervened and transferred the injured to nearby hospitals. The Army and security forces were deployed around the prison building, which hosts about 650 prisoners, to foil further escape attempts, Xinhua news agency reported.

Lebanese Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi has assigned the Governor of Bekaa, Kamal Abou Jaoude, to follow up on the developments, especially in evacuating prisoners and treating the injured.

The situation in Lebanese prisons has worsened since the economic crisis in 2019, with prisoners complaining about the overcrowded space and the absence of proper meals.