At least 25 people have been killed and dozens injured in a gun battle between rival gangs at a Venezuelan prison.
Some of the dead and wounded are believed to be relatives of inmates who were caught in the crossfire while visiting.
The violence erupted at Yare prison, south of Caracas, on Sunday - and inmates were still in control of the jail on Monday night.
It is one of the deadliest clashes yet in Venezuela's overcrowded prisons, a major problem for President Hugo Chavez's government.
Prison minister Iris Varela said that 17 of the 25 dead had been identified so far. She said some of them had been shot in the head.
Forty-three other people were wounded, including 29 inmates and 14 visiting relatives, Ms Varela said.
About 980 women who were at the prison to see inmates when the fighting broke out were still inside, she said.
Ms Varela said the riot apparently began when a gun went off while armed inmates were talking in a workshop and administrative area.
She said those behind the killings "are going to have to answer for this".
Carlos Nieto, an activist who monitors human rights in Venezuelan prisons, said the gun battle lasted about four hours and involved groups fighting for control.
Violence has recently worsened inside Venezuela's prisons, where inmates often obtain weapons and drugs with the help of corrupt guards.
