Strong winds blow off roofs of Malawi Prison, injure 16 inmates in Zomba

Five inmates have been admitted to Zomba Central Hospital and 11 others were treated as outpatients after strong winds which occurred in the early hours of Sunday blew off a roof for the building housing inmates, staff houses and a classroom block at the Zomba Maximum Security Prison.

Malawi Prison Service (MPS) public relations officer Evance Phiri confirmed the development in an interview on Monday.

He said a building comprising of eight prison cells, five staff houses and a classroom block at the institution had their roofs blown off due to the strong winds.

Said Phiri: “It happened at around 4 am on Sunday when what we can call a cyclone or strong winds hit Zomba hard  resulting in the damage of infrastructures at the prison campus.

“At the moment some of the inmates have been relocated to other prisons within Zomba whereas others have been shifted to other cells within the premises. A total of 600 inmates have been affected in the 8 cells and plans to renovate the buildings have partly started. We have reported the incident to the Ministry of Home Affairs for assistance on the matter.”

But Phiri added that the hospitalised inmates have minor injuries but needed close observation by the medical personnel.

Sharing is caring!