The Democratic Republic of Congo’s interior minister Jacquemain Shabani Lukoo Bihango announced on Tuesday that 129 people were killed in an attempt to escape Makala Central Prison. Tenty-four people were killed by gunfire after allegedly failing to heed warnings; the remaining deceased reportedly died by crushing or suffocation. Fifty-nine others were also injured during the unsuccessful escape attempt, and some were reportedly raped.

After convening a crisis meeting with the heads of the defense and security services, Shabani said that the government deplores such tragic events and offered condolences to the families of victims. Shabani also assured the public that investigations will continue. The government is taking provisional measures to prohibit prisoner transfers and accelerate the construction of a new prison on the capital’s outskirts.

The DRC’s justice minister Constant Mutamba said the attempt, which occurred during the early hours of Monday morning, was an act of premeditated sabotage. While no prisoners succeeded in escaping, various facilities, including the infirmary and food depots, were destroyed by fires during the chaos.

The Makala Central Prison is the largest in the DRC. Amnesty International described the prison’s conditions as “generally appalling” and stated that the prison can only accommodate 1,500 prisoners, yet is holding over 12,000. Detainees in the prison have starved to death, and suffered from a lack of drinking water. The government has recently taken numerous measures to improve prison conditions, including an intention to grant 7,000 prisoners conditional release. The government has assured that efforts to reduce overcrowding will continue.