At least 49 inmates died and 30 were injured after a fire broke out during an overnight riot in a prison in the southwestern Colombian city of Tulua, the country's prison agency said on Tuesday.

"The inmates lighted some mats, and a conflagration occurred that unfortunately triggered the death of 49 prisoners," said Tito Castellanos, the director of the state National Penitentiary and Prison Institute (Inpec).

The Tulua fire department was able to control the fire in the unit which houses some 180 inmates and evacuate the injured inmates to local health centers, Castellanos said.

He added that some guards were injured when they tried to help the inmates, and no prisoner escaped during the riot.

Colombian President Ivan Duque lamented the events and expressed his solidarity with the families of the deceased.

"We regret the events that occurred in the Tulua prison, Valle del Cauca. I am in contact with @DInpec, General Tito Castellanos, and I have given instructions to carry out investigations to clarify this terrible situation. My solidarity with the families of the victims," Duque tweeted.

Meanwhile, President-elect Gustavo Petro also regretted what happened in the prison and sent his condolences to the bereaved families.

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